Some relevant points in this article. I agree the iphone does get a lot of media noise in relation to the amount of handsets sold. Companies should definitely have a mobile web/sms shortcode strategy to compliment smartphone based apps (such as Shazam which can be accessed from a text shortcode, iphone app, android app etc.) However many reports from the likes of Admob have shown that iphone users are the heaviest mobile internet users, application users etc. so all though they are small in number relative to the rest of the market, they are the most mobile intensive users (excluding calls and texts) and as they also tend to like showing and sharing the latest thing their phone can do. They are also the most heavy facebook and twitter users from their phone as social media becomes increasingly mobile (eg loopt, foursquare etc.) Therefore by targeting this group it can be very beneficial as a seeding strategy. The iphone is going to become very mainstream once it is released on Vodafone (January) and Orange (before XMAS) soon. Once the iphone exclusivity deal ended in France with Orange it went from a 15% to 40% market share. Also, smart phones will in the next year or two will not longer be for a niche, early adopter crowd but widely adopted by the general public. The Mobile market (not handsets but accessing services and mobile web) is going to be huge and is about to hit fast growth just as the internet did a few years ago. Hence the reason the likes of Google (building adsense for mobiles), PayPal etc. are scrambling to get into the market. For example, 2 million people in the U.K now use mobile banking services on their phone up a 100% from last year. AQA 63336 received 4 million texts last year. Therefore its is crucial that companies jump on this so called bandwagon as soon as possible to understand and learn from it, otherwise they will be caught out as did many companies who did not adapt to the rise of the internet.
tigertwo
· 2 months ago
Thank you for your detailed an insightful comment. I agree with you that mobile is the way of the future, and I am also aware of the marketing machine that Apple commands which ensures it's products become the norm. But I wouldn't completely rule out the competition. I am an Android user and I have loved the phone and the operating system from the moment I got it. I have tried the iPhones owned by people in the office and they just don't work for me.
I think overall, any business which wants to remain competitive needs to understand how their customers are accessing information, and they need to be prepared for changes. But they shouldn't simply do something because it is in the news. They should do it because it is strategically appropriate for their business, their market and their future. That may indeed be an iPhone app. But it may also be something else.
@newmediasunny
· 2 months ago
Great post which I totally agree with and supports your response to my post
All Comments
The iphone is going to become very mainstream once it is released on Vodafone (January) and Orange (before XMAS) soon. Once the iphone exclusivity deal ended in France with Orange it went from a 15% to 40% market share.
Also, smart phones will in the next year or two will not longer be for a niche, early adopter crowd but widely adopted by the general public. The Mobile market (not handsets but accessing services and mobile web) is going to be huge and is about to hit fast growth just as the internet did a few years ago. Hence the reason the likes of Google (building adsense for mobiles), PayPal etc. are scrambling to get into the market. For example, 2 million people in the U.K now use mobile banking services on their phone up a 100% from last year. AQA 63336 received 4 million texts last year.
Therefore its is crucial that companies jump on this so called bandwagon as soon as possible to understand and learn from it, otherwise they will be caught out as did many companies who did not adapt to the rise of the internet.
I think overall, any business which wants to remain competitive needs to understand how their customers are accessing information, and they need to be prepared for changes. But they shouldn't simply do something because it is in the news. They should do it because it is strategically appropriate for their business, their market and their future. That may indeed be an iPhone app. But it may also be something else.
http://technology.inc.com/telecom/articles/2009...