Forbes Predicts Spike in Mobile Web Usage in 2008
February 18th, 2008 MobileFreak
(Note: Please see Editor’s Update at bottom of post)
Forbes Magazine last week made a asked Christian Lindholm to make a few predictions about the mobile industry in 2008. While I do like the one that claims this will be the year of bad touch screens, here is the one that caught my eye:
Trend No. 3: The Mobile Net Becomes Useful
There are already large volumes of 3G phones with good browsers and screens measuring two inches or larger. We expect there will be 50 million such phones in use by the end of 2008. Combine that with the unprecedented effect the iPod touch and iPhone have had on content companies, inspiring them to make mobile optimized sites. It’s now possible to build really interesting mobile browser-based services. We believe there will be a spike in usage of the mobile Net in 2008.
Some of the most popular mobile sites, like Google, and Yahoo! and the BBC, seem to be overhauling their solutions. There are also lots of startups that have realized that building and distributing an application is too hard, and they’re switching to browser-based solutions.
I do think it’s interesting that the author claims the iPhone “inspired companies to make mobile optimized sites”? Huh? Someone please clue them in that the iPhone displays regular versions of sites (not mobile versions).
In any case, do you agree with Forbes Mr. Lindholm? Or is this prediction just too easy to make?
Editor Update: I made an error. These predictions were made by Christian Lindholm, and NOT by Forbes magazine as originally stated in this post. I have updated the post accordingly. Lindholm is a mobile industry veteran, with stints at Nokia and Yahoo!, and now a consultant at Fjord. Still, what’s up with that iPhone statement Christian?
Entry Filed under: News
Here are a few related posts:
Mobile Web News in Mainstream Press
2008 Consumer Electronics Show Predicts the Future of Mobile
Record Phone Activity on Someone Else’s Mobile Phone
These Google Android Developers Did Something – What About You?
It’s good to see people are finally starting to pay attention to Mobile Web content.
For too long it’s been an ‘also ran’ repurposing of desktop content that content providers threw up at the last minute without even bothering to monitor traffic (didn’t matter most of the time as the content was static and unchanging anyway).
The only problem with the iphone phenomenon is whilst they view sites correct (and the analytics work…sort of) it makes up such a small number.
Yes in 3 years from now all our mobile browsers will form correctly and flawlessly (lol) however I’ve said for a long time, if someone visits your mobile site and you dont have any analytics and dont know anything about them or their visit…..does it count (as a homage to the saying “if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hearâ€).
If you run a mobile web site check out Amethon’s Mobile Analytics from http://www.Amethon.com
One of the worlds first analytics applications specifically built for mobile browsers.
With no page tagging, artifacts or javascript we offer a real time analytics solution with no overhead or lag.
You can finally see what your mobile web visitors are trying to tell you about your mobile content…….good or otherwise. At least then you will be able to move forward offering dynamic mobile web content that interests your visitors – or is ‘thumb’ fatigue a bigger issue than WAP content providers think.
Cheers,
Dean Collins
http://www.Amethon.com