As it stands, Symbian, which is the basis for the operating system of Nokia smartphones, holds the dominant share of the global smart-phone market. It’s share is more than that held by Blackberry and the iPhone combined. It is, however, rapidly losing its share to the aforementioned, particularly since the arrival of the iPhone. The iPhone is gaining fast in the consumer market and likewise for Blackberry devices in the business market.
Any market developments with regard to smart-phone popularity are very important for the future of the web, as smart-phones are bringing the web to people who don’t want, like or use computers. There is no reason why a user should have to be a ‘computer person’ to benefit from everything the web offers. The reasons why computers are not universally popular is because they are either too expensive, too complex (they offer too much) or they are too difficult to use. More ‘humanized’ devices (to use Michael Norton’s term on the previous post) will extend the web’s reach.
One very significant area of web market expansion through mobile devices is the developing-world market. People in developing-economy countries such as South Africa might be keen to access the web or use apps, but they usually can’t afford desktops or laptops. Smart-phones are also expensive on their own, but people with little money can often obtain them by signing up for contracts with cellphone service providers. Content providers who aim to reach into these expanding markets need to therefore make sure their content is mobile friendly.
A website like thescoccerpages.com, a South African social networking site for soccer fans, caters to a very broad market consisting of many low and middle-low income users. This is because soccer is the most popular sport in South Africa despite ethnic and wealth divides. This site was developed with the mobile browsing market in mind: it allows users to interact with their accounts with their cellphones, because the reality is that a large portion of their audience are not in the market for an expensive desktop or laptop. Bandwidth hungry technologies like rich Flash presentations were never an option for the website’s creators. Lightweight W3 technology was the necessary route to take.
Into the Web’s future with mobile devices.
As it stands, Symbian, which is the basis for the operating system of Nokia smartphones, holds the dominant share of the global smart-phone market. It’s share is more than that held by Blackberry and the iPhone combined. It is, however, rapidly losing its share to the aforementioned, particularly since the arrival of the iPhone. The iPhone is gaining fast in the consumer market and likewise for Blackberry devices in the business market.
Any market developments with regard to smart-phone popularity are very important for the future of the web, as smart-phones are bringing the web to people who don’t want, like or use computers. There is no reason why a user should have to be a ‘computer person’ to benefit from everything the web offers. The reasons why computers are not universally popular is because they are either too expensive, too complex (they offer too much) or they are too difficult to use. More ‘humanized’ devices (to use Michael Norton’s term on the previous post) will extend the web’s reach.
One very significant area of web market expansion through mobile devices is the developing-world market. People in developing-economy countries such as South Africa might be keen to access the web or use apps, but they usually can’t afford desktops or laptops. Smart-phones are also expensive on their own, but people with little money can often obtain them by signing up for contracts with cellphone service providers. Content providers who aim to reach into these expanding markets need to therefore make sure their content is mobile friendly.
A website like thescoccerpages.com, a South African social networking site for soccer fans, caters to a very broad market consisting of many low and middle-low income users. This is because soccer is the most popular sport in South Africa despite ethnic and wealth divides. This site was developed with the mobile browsing market in mind: it allows users to interact with their accounts with their cellphones, because the reality is that a large portion of their audience are not in the market for an expensive desktop or laptop. Bandwidth hungry technologies like rich Flash presentations were never an option for the website’s creators. Lightweight W3 technology was the necessary route to take.