Mobile world in numbers

Comscore launched it (first) annual report on the  mobile world (US, EU5 and Japan).  Free to download at their website!

I’ve rounded up the most important trends:

• Mobile growth in 2 speeds: US vs EU
  In total market share, the US is ahead of the European market. Although we see a similar growth in terms of smartphone and 3G adoption, the EU doesn’t embrace the unlimited data transfer yet, probably because of the expensive and segregated mobile market across Europe.
  We’ll see how the European Union deals with these challenges. The EU has already set maximum prices to text messaging and phone calls over the mobile network, it’s to be expected that they will set a maximum price on data transfer as well.

• Smartphone tops the charts
  When we purchase a mobile device, 80% in the US and 60% in the EU are buying a smartphone.  Off course the Apple iPhone is popular, but other manufacturers are selling their smartphones as well.
  

 

• Smartphone demographics show old users in the EU against youngsters in the US
  Again the EU sees older (35+) and more mature people buying and using smartphone.  Probably the budget plays a role in the decision-making process to buy a smartphone….althuogh we see the fastest growth in the EU in the categories of 18 – 24 year olds (up 54%) and 13 – 18 years olds (up 66%). Youngsters are shifting to mobile….
  

 

• Android OS on steroids
  Google’s Android OS was the fastest growing mobile operating system in 2010, taking over a lot of Symbian market share (hence the collaboration between Nokia and Microsoft…). Only to show that Apple doesn’t own the mobile market (although US Verizon is using Apple’s OS as their standard….so we’ll see in 2011 what this means in market share). Android’s main challenges will be, to sort out the big differences in versions to make it easier for developers….

• Steady growth of mobile media usage
  With the use of smartphones we switch our main use of the mobile device as well….not only texting and phone calls are popular, we access mail, social networks, browse and follow online retail stores,… with our mobile device.  The mobile device is taking centre stage in our life!  We see different usage in the US then in EU, but social networking is certainly a hit on the mobile!
  

 

• Japan uses mobile wallet!
  The mobile wallet is already a rising succes story in Japan.  Who needs real money when you have your mobile anyway?
  10% of the mobile subscriptions used their mobile as a paying device. They use it most of the time in classical retail situations.
  But again this is a trend which is developing in Northern European countries as well, ….only a matter of time to concur the world!

In 2011 we will see more mobile shifting.
Media usage will be more and more integrated between the different devices (PC, tablet, mobile, screen, ….)
Mobile Marketing will be the next challenge for the marketeers….they’re already working out new strategies!
Mobile Commerce will hand real-time price and product information to the consumer, and when this consumer embraces the mobile wallet…the sky is again the limit!

 (graphics taken from the Comscore report)

Mobile World Congress – Integration on softwarelevel! [updated]

Mobile =near Future, but mobile needs its upgrade off course.

Since devices can handle a lot of flat world traffic, networks are getting better so connection is almost everywhere available….it’s time for the next step:
The software – update….The first signal on this new era was given by Nokia an Mircosoft, last week, when they announced they would make an integrated smartphone of the Nokia hardware knowhow, integrated with the microsoft software, and therefore developing an new mobile ecosystem! People have already called it  the cooperation of the losers….because both companies didn’t do well in the mobile world, where Apple and Google (with the Android platform embraced by Samsung, HTC and Sony Ericsson) are setting to lines!

And if we look at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (14 – 17 February 2011) we see a huge accent on mobile software. The Apps stores a making money big time, 15 billion dollar as predicted for 2011 (according to a Gartner study)…..

Android taking over the world!

1 out of 4 smartphones is running the Android system (when one year ago onolu 1 out of 25 was). Samsung was alraedy running Android, and will introduce an updated version of the Galaxy Tab in 2011 (price unknown). But the next big implementation of the Android platform will be the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, the PlayStation Phone…runnin all major games, and is a SmartPhone! The market is open and will be a playing field for Google (Android), Apple (iOS) and Microsoft (Windows Phone)….but in the end consumer will win, and choose the best system for his personal use, interest and needs.

Mobile Internet Explorer 9 on its way

Microsoft will launch an new veriosn of Mobile Internet Explorer in 2011, and will run on Windows Phone 7. It will be equiped with Twitter, a copy/paste application, ….

If you ‘re at MWC…please inform us on what you think is the future of mobile!

Yahoo 2.0 – Livestand

Yahoo is a portal site….always has been, and still is…but becomes less relevant now social media comes around!

What’s next….Yahoo announced Livestand, Yahoo 2.0 developed for the mobile tablet (and for sure for iPad, but probably also on Android, Honeycomb, and other operating systems in the near future).  It looks like a digital magazine filled with Yahoo and tirth party content. Although you will download it as an app, it’s not ment to be an app it’s ment to a platform to use. Trough this platform Yahoo hopes to attract magazines who will sell advertising space and get subscriptions through Livestand.

Let see how Apple will react to this new business model….again they change the model to attract new revenue.

In the flat eductation section, I mention the fact that business modelling is so important when looking at the flat world business….the way you do your business now will not be the way to do business in the flat world. Be prepared to change your business model….any help on this can be found in the business model section. 

(picture source: www.businessinsider.Com)