Mobile Phones have been around for a long time and so has been the capability to
consume and exchange data using mobile phones. However, the marriage of the two
in a meaningful, engaging and value creating method took the genius of a certain
Steve Jobs. One day he will be knighted and we would call him Sir Steve Jobs. Widgets
and poor experience providing WAP sites failed to provide engagement on mobile devices.
In 2009, Apple launched a commercial for the iPhone 3GS and called it “There's an
app for that”. It was done to show the world that in two years after the launch
of the first iPhone that there is an app for almost everything that one could think
of. Almost 3 years have gone by since this commercial was released and the creation
and download of mobile apps have continued to steam roll. But let's say you pick
ten of your favourite brands, utilities or companies and see if they have a mobile
presence you will conclude that most of them still have not yet adopted mobility.
This goes to prove that while there are a plethora of apps, there is still a lot
more to come. There are serious reasons why enterprises now have to start “Thinking
Mobile”.
3G to push mobile app development
The advent and spread of 3G networks has provided the pleasure for users to lead
an always connected life. So connected have our Facebook centered lives become that
the access to the internet in many parts of the world is now more from a mobile
device as compared to a traditional desktop. Keeping with the trend, now mobile
devices outsell PCs and desktops. Mobile devices are the new and the largest internet
medium and Mobile apps are the new Web sites. App icons are the new URLs. The current
app world has lead to a good foundation for apps consumption and a buffet worthy
appetite. What next? While apps have fueled the connected lives they have also created
a platform and means for connected devices to interact. Homes are becoming smarter
and we will see more homes automated and controlled via mobile apps. The Health
sector has gained and will continue to gain heavily as medical devices become smarter
and get connected via mobile devices to chart, monitor and share critical health
data. Several new cars have an app platform allowing developers to create apps for
their users. Idiot boxes are now Smart TVs. We will see more apps embedded within
TV making the watching experience more social and interactive. Wallets will mean
mobile wallets that are virtual and will be used to pay for services or goods with
a magical swoosh of the mobile phone – powered by Near Field Communication. Siri,
the talkative and loveable virtual assistant on the new iPhone 4S will become more
popular and we should see similar virtual assistance built within niche apps. Data
would now be stored on clouds thus giving users access to the same information from
multiple devices. Mobile games will score over outdoor games and games in general
will continue to be most used app category. More searches will happen via mobile
devices as compared to the web. Governments will vote for mobile apps and a lot
of government data would be made available for mobile apps to consume and innovate
around.
What future holds
While these are some future trends and it can be used to draw parallels to ones
business, it is important that companies think long term and adopt a mobile strategy
and a long-term mobile roadmap. It's obvious that enterprises have to adopt mobility;
a common pitfall has been to rush the initiative and mimic what has been done on
corporate websites. Mobile app and mobile versions require a different thinking
and approach. It is important to map the business, process and people and think
how mobility could be used to bring benefits. Some of the obvious thinking could
be around, “How can I use location as a context to my business”? “What parts of
my business could be used to satisfy the need for instant information”, “How can
my business benefit from the strong social connection from within mobiles?” For
example, do I have something that a user would like to share about to their social
circle? These are some of ways one could think mobile and there are surely many
others that are specific to certain business and their consumers. While mobility
for business to consumers comes as first thought, there is a growing trend and need
for businesses to bring about mobility for their internal needs. Think Intranet
and Extranet for mobile devices but fine tune this thought with Mobile Thinking.