Focus shifts to accessing internet on handheld devices
Monday, January 30, 2012 3:53Focus shifts to accessing internet on handheld devices
This year developers and brands will no longer focus on targeting particular operating systems or mobile devices “because specialisation means missing out”, BuzzCity co-founder Dr KF Lai forecast.
BuzzCity is a global Singapore-based handheld device advertising network of which South Africa’s media group Naspers owns a 36.1 percent stake.
Lai said marketers would have to make the internet on handheld devices the first port of call and primary presence, regardless of the platform.
“Beyond 2012, watch out for HTML 5, which provides users with a rich app-like experience without having to download an app. But there is still a way to go before the majority of handheld devices can support this technology.”
But Arno du Toit, chief commercialisation officer at Virtual Mobile Technologies, has predicted Windows Phone will “rock” South Africa, primarily due to Nokia.
“Around the world, Nokia might already be dismissed as an also-ran by the Android and iOS fanboys. Indeed, there is no doubt Android and iOS have captured market share from Nokia Symbian.”
IT research and advisory firm Gartner predicted that when Nokia adopted the Windows Phone 7 next year it would soon become the third largest operating system and overtake Apple’s market share by 2015.
Media tablets are expected to be recognised as a medium in their own right in 2012 as more immersive games and applications will drive consumption via tablets.
“When tablets were first released, pundits worried the new device would cannibalise the market for PCs/laptops and phones. This hasn’t happened. And it won’t. A new ecosystem is forming along with new media-consumption habits.”
Lai also predicted coupons tailored for cellphones would “steal the stage” in the new year. “The convenience and functionality of (cellphone) wallets are not enough to drive mass-market adoption.”
He said to encourage transactions, value would be derived from opt-in coupons delivered directly to consumers’ cellphone wallets. They redeem the coupons from the point of sale, using their cellphones.
“The mobile internet plus coupons plus mobile payments is a winning formula. It will also be essential to make it cost effective for smaller retailers to drive footfall with mobile coupons, which in turn catalyses m-commerce (mobile-commerce) into a mainstream tool.”
Small businesses, particularly in emerging markets, are increasingly turning to social-media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, to create their cellphone and internet presence.
In March, Kalahari.com launched its cellphone platform and recorded 40 percent growth within the first month, it said in November. Since then its cellphone retail site had increased visits by over 200 percent.
According to the Mobility Report published by First National Bank and Arthur Goldstuck’s World Wide Worx, conservative estimates predicted six million cellphone internet browsers in South Africa in February.
Gartner said in its predictions for 2012 and coming years, it expected at least 50 percent of enterprise e-mail users will rely primarily on a browser, tablet or mobile device instead of a desktop station by 2016.
“As the options for e-mail clients continue to grow, the need for mobile-device management platforms will soar and suppliers will be pressured to support more collaboration services, including instant messaging, web conferencing, social networking and shared workspaces.”
It also said cellphone application development projects targeting smartphones and tablets would outnumber native PC projects by a ratio of 4 to 1 over the next four years.
“Smartphones and tablets represent more than 90 percent of the new net growth in device adoption for the coming four years, and increasing application platform capability across all classes of cellphones is spurring a new frontier of innovation, particularly where mobile capabilities can be integrated with location, presence and social information to enhance the usefulness.”
Lai’s fifth prediction for 2012 is mobile commerce would “come of age” in emerging markets.
Source: http://www.iol.co.za
