11-15-2002, 10:24 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,177
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All In One Utopia?
http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2896754,00.html
Visitor Pierre Karlsson pointed me to an interesting article written by David Coursey, Executive Editor, AnchorDesk. The article is called "Why all-in-one handhelds will never catch on".
Here are some snippets from the article:
"The conventional wisdom--or perhaps it's the wireless industry's common prayer--is that messaging and multimedia will be the Next Big Thing in wireless. After all, Swedish kids spend almost their entire allowances sending short text messages to one another and the Japanese are gaga sending each other pictures they've taken with their cell phones. Or so we are told. It's supposed to follow that American teens will do the same, using their phones for what amounts to expensive instant messaging, and that parents will start capturing their Kodak moments on a phone for immediate dispatch to relatives. I HATE TO BREAK IT to the wonderful folks in the wireless industry, but I think both scenarios are bunk."
David then goes on and constructively explains his own predications for the wireless industry. All in all I agree with his conclusions, although I can't help reacting to the following: "As for applications, SMS messaging--the 160-character instant messages the Euro kids are all nuts over--will never be nearly as big here. Why? Because most Americans already have other ways to access the Net; Europeans rely more on their wireless devices because home Internet penetration there lags behind the U.S."
Very funny! Internet penetration in the Nordic countries is around 80%. In Sweden, I it's even more. That's an Internet penetration that kicks ass with any country's ditto -- including the US. So, the explanation to why SMS won't take on in the US is not related to poor Internet penetration over seas. Instead, I believe it is a combination of relatively high Internet penetration in the US which will drive wireless IP based messaging and the adoption of the old fashion pager. Be that as it may.
Pierre's own conclusion is that most of us don't want more devices, but different people want different devices. That is possible, according to Pierre, by making different devices or modular devices on top one platform. I agree. Do you?
UPDATE: Internet penetration in Sweden is 67.9 %, although lower than I thought, it is the highest percentage found on Internet World Stats. Thanks to WillyG for the link!
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11-15-2002, 11:46 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 254
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Internet usage stats
Internet usage and penetration statistics here:
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
__________________
In times of change, its the learners who will inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to handle a world that no longer exist.
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11-15-2002, 11:56 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 354
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There is growing choice
I laughed at the SMS comment in the original article, contrary to US opinion the UK (and the rest of Europe) has a high internet penetration. SMS is not an alternative to the internet, or email but a complementary service. One reason why SMS is not a big thing in the US is probably due to the fact it has lagged behind Europe on mobile technology and interoperability between networks.
I think there is already a wide choice of device types for different users and this is growing steadily. If you want a bare bones voice handset theres a huge choice, at the bottom end of the range these are very cheap. At the other end of the spectrum we have Pocket PC Phone Edition devices and similar which are primarily Data centric with voice features. And though the middle of these two extremes are a wide choice of devices with some data features such as WAP, Java, GPRS etc, and of course Microsoft has a foot in the door here with Smartphone. Throughout that whole selection theres certainly something for everyone.
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11-15-2002, 01:14 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 105
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Americans just don't get SMS , they can't understand why people would type a slow message out, when you could just ring instead.
I can see their point, but the real reason I believe is because Americans are incessant yappers, who will give you their whole day, just to describe one part of it.
How many times have you been in a public place in Europe and you can hear 2 Americans talkin at the top of their voices about everybody and everything that has happened to them in the last week, including the lurid details of their friends last sexual encounter and a step by step anylasis of their feelings about it.
OK I know what that statement was, but c'mon people
It's like SOOO true.
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11-15-2002, 01:39 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 354
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by krisbrown
Americans just don't get SMS , they can't understand why people would type a slow message out, when you could just ring instead.
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Absolutely. Interestingly alot of uses for SMS's are for communications which people are less comfortable talking face to face about or wish to do discretely, such as flirting, dumping girl/boyfriends even bullying and threatening via SMS is becoming common if you believe the news. Its a cultural difference, Americans just don't get discretion.
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11-15-2002, 02:45 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by peter.foot
Its a cultural difference, Americans just don't get discretion.
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Oh, come on. You're seriously generalizing here, and inaccurately beyond belief. Thanks for stereotyping all of us.
The simplest reason "Americans" don't use SMS is because only recently did inter-carrier SMS start working here. It's still not reliable yet. I know quite a few people on T-Mobile I SMS with... and would love to SMS with several Verizon people, and not all of them are techies... but it doesn't always work.
BTW: Anchordesk has been making inaccurate predictions for years now. Only a year ago or so were they railing mercilessly against Pocket PC. I literally stopped reading them 5 years ago, because I think their "content" is highly debatable.
--bdj
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11-15-2002, 02:51 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 78
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by peter.foot
Quote:
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Originally Posted by krisbrown
Americans just don't get SMS , they can't understand why people would type a slow message out, when you could just ring instead.
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Absolutely. Interestingly alot of uses for SMS's are for communications which people are less comfortable talking face to face about or wish to do discretely, such as flirting, dumping girl/boyfriends even bullying and threatening via SMS is becoming common if you believe the news. Its a cultural difference, Americans just don't get discretion. |
Some slightly less flame-baiting reasons  also include:
Have you ever tried to have a conversation on a moving train (that is, of course, if you can find one)?
Have you tried using your phone to ring someone when in a noisy environment, or in a meeting, or whilst sitting with mates at the pub?
For a short conversation, SMS is vastly cheaper than phoning whilst abroad (hotel & roaming charges, that is). Though if it's going to go on, calling up is better.
Even with large Internet uptake there are plenty of places where you can't get wireless Internet access (ever tried getting GPRS outside your home network, e.g. abroad?). This was especially so a few years ago when mobile phone no.s exploded in Europe.
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11-15-2002, 02:54 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,023
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Main reason I don't use SMS is just a cost issue. I tend to do just about all communicating with the outside world through the net. I barely even touch a telephone these days, and keep only a prepaid cell on hand in case it's needed.
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11-15-2002, 03:04 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 78
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As for all-in-one devices, there's plenty of places I'll happily take my phone, but not my PDA (nightclubs, gigs, all-dayer sessions, festivals, using outside Wood Green tube station, etc. etc.) so I can see that there is a at least one market for separate devices. The flexibilty issue of different devices is a good point to make.
Obviously there are people for whom the above issues are irrelevant, and they may well want the single device as it eliminates (reduces?) the hassle of getting them all working together.
Or did I mis-read the article (only had time to skim read).
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11-15-2002, 03:09 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 78
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Rirath
Main reason I don't use SMS is just a cost issue....
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Many providers in the UK are now offering free messages bundled into their monthly tariffs. The best one I've seen so far is O2's Online 200 which has 200 free mins (in xnet), 500 free SMS messages, 300 free WAP, 2MB free GPRS, all for �30 a month. Not bad, but I'd probably want to bolt some more GPRS on if it was my personal account (I'm stuck with what my company will give me on their corporate ornage plan).
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Linear Mode
