Archive for 2008
by Ewan Spence
April 21, 2008 at 9:02 am · Filed under iPhone, Apple, 2008
I wonder just how much a headache the iPod Touch is causing Cupertino? Essentially the Touch is the iPhone without the phone circuit, but it’s also more than that. It’s not the ongoing revenue stream that the iPhone devices are, it’s not out there challenging for column inches in a fight with the telcos and smartphone manufacturers. It’s the forgotten brother of the line up.
Yet it’s arguably exactly the same hardware, and it’s definitely the same platform as the iPhone. Yet iPod Touch users are getting a rough deal at every turn. Flash software updates are being charged for, just to add in the same software that the iPhone carried originally, it seems to be the forgotten product, and as the iPhone gathers all the press and marketing push, the Touch is left forgotten in everything except the financial reports.
The Touch could be, with some focus, a fantastic platform for Apple and the mobile space. It’s well positioned to be the first truly mainstream successful internet tablet. Yet it continues to be crippled. The upcoming iPhone SDK will also allow applications to run on the iPod Touch
The Touch may well have the potential to be a new type of device family, but it could also signal that Apple are losing site of their audience – news that the January 2008 upgrade was going to be chargeable drew (admittedly muted) boo’s from the audience at the MacWorld Keynote… and with the upgrade to allow third party SDK developed applications due to incur a further charge, I wonder if Apple really wanted the iPod Touch in the first place?
When you have a product you should be 100% behind it, or kill it. I wish Cupertino could make its mind up.
by Ewan Spence
April 16, 2008 at 6:59 am · Filed under Mobile Tech, iPhone, Apple, Nokia, 2008
The sky is falling the sky is falling, there must be a 3G iPhone around the corner all the tea leaves and chicken [little] entrails say so!
Yes there is more furor around certain dedicated parts of the internet in regards to an update to the iPhone line, especially with the ‘why wasn’t it there in the first place’ 3G connectivity (to which I suspect the answer is a mix of cost, high power consumption, and Apple’s relative inexperience in the mobile market place). And driving that discussion over the last few days has been the drop in price of some one hundred pounds ($195 US) by UK carrier O2 on the 8GB iPhone – bringing it to a respectable (but still overpriced) 169 pounds
Yes I said overpriced, but let me refine that. It’s over-priced for the UK market, where you can pick up the high end Nokia Nseries devices for under 50 pounds in many cases. As we’ve said time and again, the nature of the market in different territories can affect a device and how it is received. The US finally had a phone with a good set of features for the tech crowd, and they loved it.
Please don’t read too much into a price cut of a company that has likely got excess stock on a unit. If there was some devious plot to clear the shelves, don’t you think that the 16GB unit would also have a price cut? Or that the cut would also be given to O2 customers in Ireland?
I’ve no doubt there will be a 3G iPhone in the near future, but Apple are traditionally very good at keeping things quiet, especially when there’s not been a squeak of an FCC filing for a 3G variant (which needs to be done some 90 days before a product release as I recall).
Apple fanboys, seeing patterns when there are none. Gotta love em.
by Ewan Spence
March 26, 2008 at 11:23 am · Filed under Usage + Usability, iPhone, Nokia, 2008
Is the iPhone a massive success because it opens up the regular American user to the power of the internet on the move; or is the iPhone a success because a significant number of the purchasers are the tech elite that continually push their equipment to the limit?
(I’m dispensing with the more straightforward question of “is the iPhone a success or not” because the straightforward answer differs depending on the territory you are in. The results in the US I think are on or ahead of any sensible prediction, but the European take up has been slow and low. A discussion for another time, perhaps).
With every survey that comes out promoting the iPhone as the best thing to hit the mobile internet, I always come back to the central questions of why people are measuring ‘the phone’ rather than measuring ‘the user?’ After all, the difference between my Dad getting any internet capable phone, and myself, is going to be huge. My Dad is likely to use it to check the weather online before he goes out for a round of gold – I’m more likely to be uploading 10mb long videos, streaming live conversations, a Twitter client polling every 180 seconds, and a thousand and one other data services. I might even call someone if I have to get an immediate answer!
There’s no escaping the fact that the iPhone has created a greater buzz in the American marketplace – and having now experienced the consumer side of the US market it’s no wonder that the tech savvy users are swithching to the iPhone, but I don’t think that’s a basis for declaring it as a complete game-changer in the space. When using a cellular data connection, it has a cute web browser, a passable email client, and some look-up functionality for weather and stocks.
But I’d be doing that on any phone… in Europe. If I was to move over to the States, my options are much more limited in terms of handsets that would have these capabilities. The iPhone is very much the only mainstream option available, beyond grey imports or manufacturers web shops. So is it any wonder when you have one phone in a territory that the lions share of geeks are using it? And of course does that answer the European [lack of] uptake issue as well?
Oh and before you leave some statistical ‘evidence’ in the comments… that spike of visitors to Google from mobile devices such as the iPhone and Nokia’s N95 has everything to do with people using the mobile internet more, and nothing to do with Google being the default home page for the browsers and search clients in these devices… No sirreee.
by Ewan Spence
February 11, 2008 at 10:49 am · Filed under User Interface, Microsoft, Symbian, Motorola, 2008, Hardware, Mobile World Congress, UIQ, Sony Ericsson
The Mobile World Congress is all about raising eyebrows – with s many new phones, services, products and ideas being announced, pre-announced or reaching the public’s hands in Barcelona this week, you need to make some big moves if you want to get noticed. Nokia, as expected, have rolled out a veritable smorgasbord of phones, social networks and product options that they can capture the news cycle for a few hours.
Other Symbian partners joined in as well, with handsets from LG, Samsung and Sony Ericsson all announcing on Sunday night, probably to get some time in the blogosphere before the Finnish juggernaut arrives. But what pricked up my ‘Industry Radar’ was Sony Ericsson’s non-Symbian phone, the Xperia 1. Not because it’s a metal encased handset, nor the qwerty keyboard or the ‘arc slider.’ It’s the operating system.
This is Sony Ericsson’s first Windows Mobile powered device.
For a company that is so closely associated with Symbian OS, to the point of buying the UIQ interface from Symbian and setting it up as a subsidiary company (and then bringing Motorola into the UIQ fold by splitting the company 50/50 with then), this is a very interesting piece of news.
The strategy behind it bears thinking about, because I don’t think this is the action of a company that’s upset with Symbian. The answer may lie in one of Symbian’s fundamental problems – the US market just doesn’t get Symbian OS. The idea of getting a beach-head in the US mobile market with some high end UIQ devices (either by Sony Ericsson or Motorola), in small numbers, has already cropped up here on Mobile Messaging 2.0.
This could very well be an extension of the idea. If the consumer isn’t particularly focused on a specific operating system on their phone, then let’s establish the beach-head with the Sony Ericsson name, rather than with our Operating System prowess.
I’d expect to see the handset debut in the second half of the year, and the marketing should cast some light on Sony Ericsson’s expectations and positing of the Xperia 1 handset. Of course I could be missing something obvious – have you any thoughts on the Microsoft / Sony Ericsson handset?
by Ewan Spence
February 5, 2008 at 10:28 am · Filed under Devices, On Blogs and Blogging, 2008, Photomessaging
Before I go on, you really should head over to Kathryn and Daniel’s Flickr set that inspired this post.
Anyway, this Flickr set has sparked a question in my head – the set itself was the traditional unboxing that any Apple fan does on getting a new product, except in this case it was an old (yet unopened) Apple IIc. The comments are a stream of memories, questions and observations that reminded me of a group of Archaeologists looking over some fossils. One comment to illustrate the fun, from Brad Graham… I double-dog dare you to tote that thing up to a Genius Bar, put on your innocent face and say, “Something went wonky with my Leopard install. Can you have a look?”
So here’s what sparked. How many text messages did you get yesterday? Last week? Last month? How about multimedia messages? Quick snaps that were never mailed to Flickr? My guess is they’ve been deleted from your phone, never to be seen again. In the digital age, we were promised, everything would be available, we’ll never have to worry about finding anything every again.
Turns out that the d in digital is more like disposable. How much information have you trashed out of your mobile phone in the recent past? We spend hours and hours each month (well, I do) trying to archive our deskbound emails, but with more and more SMS and MMS messages, more pictures, and now more and more video. How much of that are you saving?
Yes there are partner applications to capture this data on your PC (Nokia’s Lifeblog for one), and store it for you, but these are few and far between – and really only aiming at the higher end phones at the moment. Even if you have a compatible phone, how many are using this feature? And then archiving the results somewhere safe? Or are we trusting Yahoo’s Flickr and Google’s Picasa to treasure our memories?
Yes, there are benefits to digital – if Kennedy was to be assassinated today the number of smartphone videos, camera shots and digital witnesses would surely make any Warren 2.0 Commission’s job much easier – but if you go into the archives of analogue photography then you have lots of negatives and factual ‘colour’ around the Pullitzer Shot. Nowadays these would be deleted in the field. Or they send back only the cropped resized version to the news desk.
How much are we loosing from our heritage every day?
by Debi Jones
January 15, 2008 at 4:13 am · Filed under Mobile messaging 2.0, 2008, predictions
One of the things that I love about the mobile industry and technology in general is the excitement and what some would call hype around new developments. It’s common knowledge that there’s an important gap between new developments and capabilities in the industry and the adoption or even adaption of technologies by the marketplace or what I like to call people.
This gap is an industry of it’s own. Specialists in research, strategy and marketing devote vast resources to giving brands, service providers and others the best possible analysis of this gap and it’s direction or even it’s manipulation. Predictions focus upon this gap and have become a very popular game for the expression of knowledge and understanding by those involved in the technology industry including mobile. Corporate press, bloggers, service providers, hardware makers and application developers have all joined in sharing their speculations about what the next 12 months will reveal for technology adoption, people’s purchasing habits, and the market’s winners and losers.
Who needs one more opinion on what to expect from the mobile market and it’s players in 2008? What you’ll find below is a collection of predictions that will be important to watch in 2008 from their original sources who likely have some special insight into where the mobile industry is likely to shine over the next 12 months. Also, I’ve included a couple WTF predctions just for fun. Can you figure out which are which?
Chetan Sherma’s predictions take a different tactic by surveying a group of mobile industry players and pundits. One thing to note about this list is it’s obvious western geo-region bias.
Verdict: If wishing could make it so - especially for Mobile Advertising. Fortune 1000 companies have 8% of their advertising dollars budgeted for mobile, according to the Yankee Group. This doesn’t bode well for the type of inventory required to deliver on advertising going mobile in 2008.
Nellymoser founder and chief strategist, John Puterbaugh, offers a short list of
2008 predictions for Mobile 2.0, Mobile Advertising, Openness and handsets.
Verdict: I like these predictions, but some will clearly take more than 12 months to be realized. Puterbaugh selects areas of development that will be important, although he misses a few that we’ll see more discussed this year.
The billing platfrom company,
Bango, has offered their own set of industry predictions for 2008. Bango focuses on mobile advertising, - anyone see a pattern? - messaging decreasing as browsing increases, mobile commerce and PC and mobile convergence.
Verdict: Huh? The messaging part shows that Bango needs to read Mobile Messaging 2.0. Between alerts, WAP push, more people with interoperable access to SMS, messaging will not recede just because browsing increases.
IDC’s consumer predictions for 2008 focus on the rise of the mobile internet and LBS.
Verdict: Say what you mean. There are still questions around the terminology and meaning for the next phase of applications and services for mobile devices. When you say mobile internet is that different from the mobile web and how so? When you say mobile internet is that different from WAP browsers and how so? When you say mobile internet is that different from mobile 2.0 and how so?
FierceWireless Europe writer, Paul Rasmussen, offers
Top European Wireless Industry Predictions for 2008. His attention is on changing business models and network technologies. Mobile WiMAX, operator network sharing, the iPhone UI and mobile social networks are highlighted.
Verdict: Cha-cha-cha-changing. One his very first European prediction Rasmussean looks to Sprint in the US. Here’s a tip on Sprint’s WiMAX. The CEO with the vision to initiate WiMAX at Sprint was ousted by an activist shareholder. Bummer.
Also from FierceWireless, but the US version, brings predictions from the US market. Brian Dolan holds his crystal ball up on US carriers including Helio, Sprint, Clearwire, and Verizon Wireless.
Verdict: Dude! It’s not all bad news. Brian focuses mostly on where things this year will fall short. Moto breaks up, Helio perishes, and Verizon’s Openness is absent is a no there, there. He forgot to mention mobile advertising.
What we take from all these predictions is that the mobile industry continues to be fragmented. Many people will talk about and work to bring advertising to mobile devices. The most energizing and exciting developments are the increased focus on mobile by, well, everyone. With the impact of the iPhone on the mobile industry (i.e., new business models are possible, and UI innovation not lip service) and the engagement of the rest of the web industry (e.g., Yahoo!’s Widgets, Zumobi, iPhone SDK, Google’s Android) 2008 will be a year of great and profound experimentation in all things mobile. Some will even find workable advertising models.
by Ewan Spence
January 7, 2008 at 2:06 pm · Filed under Mobile messaging 2.0, Devices, Apple, 2008
What’s going to happen in 2008 is going to be this… every smartphone manufacturer is going to proclaim that they have the fastest selling smartphone of it’s class in history. We might even see certain manufacturers shouting about the fastest adoption, the greatest rise in market share… blah… blah… blah…
Yes I can confidently predict that the marketing of smartphones and highly spec’ed out feature phones (here’s looking at you, Apple) will cloud over the reality of the situation just enough to cast their brand or device as the next coming. And you know what? I’m going to be pleased to see that.
After all, if we’re in a marketplace awash with marketing data, where companies are sniping over every customer, over every feature list bullet point, over store signage, that can mean only one thing… The idea of a smartphone is embedded in the public consciousness. While PR and marketing are going to be spending more and more money on their device, the first big hurdle will already have been overcome. In much the same way as you don’t see advertising on why you need a games console at home, you just see advertising on why you need this specific games console, the rubicon has been crossed.
Smartphones will be mainstream.
All that remains is for the market to decide which smartphone is the one. And that’s where it’s going to be handed over to the marketing department, that’s when it’s going to get interesting, that’s when it’s time to look at the small prints in the advertising.
So my first mobile messaging prediction? 2008 - the year that smartphone advertising gets vicious.
