OK, the new year has turned a corner (it’s almost February!) and I now have the priviledge of doing a bit of Deep Dev prognostication, but with a little bit of hindsight - having waited until almost February to get them posted. I’ve read the rest (that’s real hindsight for you), now I’ll give you the best! (OK, that was tongue in cheek; really I’m just a little late in delivering – but I hope I’ll provide a bit of focus on some things that may be a bit less obvious than something like: Android and iOS will do battle in 2011…)
Web & Mobile Experience Meld
The view of mobile and web and how they work together has been an either/or proposition - that the mobile app should simply be the same as any company’s web site or that it be a unique mobile experience. We will be seeing that the mobile and web strategies will drive together to create seamless experiences between the two. Think about when you use a banking app online from your computer. There are typically many more features and functionality on the website today. When I want to set up bill pay, for example, this is not usually done via a mobile app. The well designed experience will allow a flow-through of features from all mobile devices to tablets to computers. You will see a lot of new mobile products that aim to fill those gaps.
Device Diversity Broadens
Yes, – you haven’t seen anything yet on this front. With ever changing form factors and features there are many choices out there for mobile devices. This will not only continue but will actually broaden as device manufacturers look to grab segments of the market. This is not exclusive to the mobile device you carry, but to any number of devices designed to track, monitor, report, and play.
You will see them at restaurants and kiosks. They will be in soft drink machines, delivery trucks and your own car. If you want to check out some really cool devices check out fellow Mobile Masters blogger Peter Semelhack’s business venture, BugLabs.
You may sometimes not even really be sure what you are looking at when you see a mobile device in the near future. They are beginning to look like squares and all kinds of things. What is important is that the consumer makes their device choice based on what they want to be able to do with it. That then allows for the checking of whether the applications we need are available for the devices we think we want. All your lifestyle apps that will allow you to manage your home security system, setup DVR recording…are not always available on all platforms.
The advantage is that there are devices that suit everyone’s needs. In corporate more and more companies are supporting personal devices, but without restraint this is a security and management nightmare. You will see most companies adopt a supported devices scenario. In this way individuals can select from a number of different devices, but the company maintains the control they need
Mobile Gets Personal
With ‘access everywhere’ having now become a way of life, there will be more and more software designed for automation and ease of use. This goes for anything from shopping without your credit cards to controlling your car remotely. There will continue to be more focus on preferences, likes and interests. While the purpose of all of these apps is to improve “lifestyle” the sheer number of them will in many ways reduce the value.
How many apps have you downloaded and hardly ever use? The apps that will really impact will be those that most closely align with personal processes. Not just easy to use applications, but applications that handle things for you, provide a distillation of information and notify us of important items.
Monetization Gets Serious
Many companies have made light investments to gain a mobile presence. Whether this was buying a toolkit or paying some developers to get that first app out, this first generation of apps will now begin to show their limitations, expense, security and scale issues. Companies will demand deeper apps with more functionality that is always reliable. These experiences will drive a new generation of value driven apps. Companies will provide more services within their applications. The bottom line for many of these mobile investments will be that must drive more business. If they don’t, they will be seen as failures.
Entertainment Continues to Drive Mobile
What will continue to make us love our devices are the constant stream of entertainment options. Whether it’s your tunes, your Facebook news or Angry Birds there will be more and better to keep us all busy. The new wave will be tighter integration with your other entertainment devices. How great will it be to transfer shows and movies from your DVR whether at home or on the road? With 4G your ability to move data around and share takes a great forward leap. Don’t be surprised if you can play games with anyone in proximity even when offline. Some of the device manufacturers will not want such open access. The winners in this space will embrace P2P in a big way.
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Tags: 2011 Trends, Deep Dev, Ken Parmelee, Mobile Apps, Mobile Devices, Mobility - General
