Wireless Has No killer Application

[Mike Temporale]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/20/mobile_killer_apps_idc/

"There will be no single killer app for mobile data, according to analysts at IDC. We should add, before all the operators start to panic, that this is because there will be several important factors driving revenue to such an extent that by 2008, the mobile consumer applications market will be worth just under $8bn in Western Europe. Paolo Pescatore, a senior wireless and mobile market analyst at IDC argues that it will be a cocktail of consumer applications that will drive data traffic: "All these applications - ring tones, gaming, video, and music - will eventually find their place on a mobile," he says, although music and video will take longer to find their niche than, for example, ring tones."

I agree with this statement to a certain extent. There is no one application that will drive the market forward. However, I don't agree with the cocktail comment because it's not the applications that are driving the demand. Email, Web access, and Instant Messaging are all features that the younger crowd are looking for. The corporate world are buying based on those same features, but they also want VPN, Encryption, and Enterprise-based applications. The real killer application is mobile access to information. Voice and Data access while you are out-and-about is what is driving this market.

[Mike Temporale]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/20/mobile_killer_apps_idc/

"There will be no single killer app for mobile data, according to analysts at IDC. We should add, before all the operators start to panic, that this is because there will be several important factors driving revenue to such an extent that by 2008, the mobile consumer applications market will be worth just under $8bn in Western Europe. Paolo Pescatore, a senior wireless and mobile market analyst at IDC argues that it will be a cocktail of consumer applications that will drive data traffic: "All these applications - ring tones, gaming, video, and music - will eventually find their place on a mobile," he says, although music and video will take longer to find their niche than, for example, ring tones."

I agree with this statement to a certain extent. There is no one application that will drive the market forward. However, I don't agree with the cocktail comment because it's not the applications that are driving the demand. Email, Web access, and Instant Messaging are all features that the younger crowd are looking for. The corporate world are buying based on those same features, but they also want VPN, Encryption, and Enterprise-based applications. The real killer application is mobile access to information. Voice and Data access while you are out-and-about is what is driving this market.

[Jason Dunn]

Indeed. I've always held that the key to successful mobility is being able to do all of the things you could do sitting in front of a computer, only doing it while mobile. That might seem simplistic, but looking at the vision the mobile operators have, it doesn't seem to be something they're keeping in mind. :wink:

[Santa Fe]

"Analysts" can't see the forest for the trees. Wireless IS the killer app.