With travellers storing and sharing more data than ever before, their smartphones constantly run out of space. Khalid Wani, channel sales director, Western Digital India highlights SanDisk’s range of solutions for travellers’ storage requirements
What changes do you see in the usage of smartphones today?
The smartphone usage sector has witnessed a social and cultural behaviour shift over past three-four years – thanks to the affordability of smartphones, various apps for sharing content, ease of access, the choices to store and share data on the move. This need for increased data is fast growing, and this has led to innovations in smartphone features such as dual sim, multi-lens cameras, 8K videos, more in-built phone storage and RAM for faster processing, without affecting the performance or speed.
Can you elaborate on the market for storage devices? How does the travel sector contribute to this market?
India’s travel sector has expanded in the recent years, driven by the increase in domestic spend, internet penetration and changing lifestyles and aspirations. All of these have a common link- the smartphone. Then, there is the personalisation of the experience in the form of photographs and videos created by travellers during their travels. Travellers are now sharing more data than ever before. Travellers click countless pictures and then store this data either on the cloud or use an external storage device to free up storage space, or to share data through offline mode.
A recently conducted online research found that 83 per cent of Indians with a personal smartphone have run out of storage, with 29 per cent of respondents running out of space at least once a week and 62 per cent of respondents running out of space at least every three months. The travel sector is a large market for sophisticated storage devices.
How is SanDisk filling the demand for storage space, for Indian smartphone customers?
According to latest industry reports, SanDisk, a Western Digital brand continues to rule the consumer storage market across categories in 1Q CY2018.
SanDisk provides trusted and innovative flash storage products that have transformed the external storage devices segment. SanDisk’s travel tech – on-the-go essentials are great for keeping consumers enjoying freedom from storage stress on the move. SanDisk has the perfect range of storage devices and solutions for users to manage their storage requirements better.
Which products do you recommend for a user who is always on the move or is travelling for work to manage his data effectively without the space crunch?
For all the iPhone users, SanDisk iXpand has been designed to be the perfect companion. It offers an easy way to free up space on their iPhone, automatically backs up their camera roll, and even lets people watch popular-format videos straight from the drive.
SanDisk Dual Drive comes in variants to suit every user. This “smartphone ki pen drive” will make data transfer and data streaming easier for our value conscious consumers.
Then, there is SanDisk Connect Stick which is the most appropriate way out for people who want to access their media or transfer large files wirelessly, stream HD videos and music, and save and share photos and videos to and from their mobile device. Compact enough to carry along, whatever weather your holiday throws at you, your precious memories will be safe.
What is your vision for the Indian market?
The upsurge in the number of smartphone users in India is one of the factors that makes us bullish towards the market. The number of smartphone users in India is expected to grow by 15.6 per cent to reach 337 million in 2018, which highest estimated growth posted by any country. The rise in the usage of smartphones will automatically result in the rise in the external storage products. Owing to this large size and upwardly mobile population, India is a unique market for us and presents us with immense opportunities for growth and innovation. We are making sure that our team is adequately positioned to drive our vision for the Indian market.