Is Mobile the new Internet? December 30, 2009
As we prepare for 2010, one of the most asked questions I hear and read is “will mobile be the new Internet?”
I find the question interesting because it could imply that an entire new economy will be created just like the one by the Internet. This could mean new jobs and wealth creation for a new generation.
On one side of the debate the answer is yes. Since our introduction of REALSKI™, a iPhone® application, I have been introduced to a whole new world of companies and individuals just doing mobile development, promotions and consulting. In fact, we could say mobile is creating new industries such as the “i” industry. Today iTunes® has more than 125,000 active apps developed by more than 28,000 unique developers. These numbers are larger than most industries. Just look at Apple’s financials to see if you can make money! Apple only represents a small piece of the global mobile platform and with Andriod, Blackberry and Microsoft targeting this market, the numbers could be staggering.
On the other hand, the answer is no. This belief is based on the fact that mobile is only an extension of existing technologies—phone, PDA and Internet working together. Additionally, there is no unified platform, technology etc. like what we had with the Internet.
I believe there is some truth to a new industry being created with a set of new companies and old Internet companies adopting mobile initiatives. With that being said, my question to answer is where will this mobile application evolution lead RTP? I am not sure. However, I will enjoy the journey that REALSKI will lead us.
Michael McDermott, SVP, RTP, LLC
YES – mobile is the new internet. Web 2.0 is dead. The Internet is no longer about being tethered to any device, but its about taking that device with you. We have iPhones, iPads, Android and Blackberry devices taking the lead in how consumers choose to access their networked lives.
Ask yourself, what is the one device you never leave home with out? most people would say car keys or wallet, but the mobile device is a close second.
However, its not likely to happen in 2010 but 2011. That is when we will start to see adoption of high speed 4G mobile networks capable of carrying large amounts of voice and data traffic.
How big is REALSKI for RTP in terms of revenues(0%, 1%, 50% )?
How big do you expect it to be a few years from now?