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Of Course PC Sales Are In Decline, Mobile Is Where It's At (GigaOM)
Analyst reports on PC sales are hitting the wire and they’re not good. Should this surprise? Not really when you consider how more capable and cheaper mobile devices are selling like hotcakes. The PC certainly isn’t dead, but it is dying a slow painful death. One could argue that the poor economic climate is hurting higher priced PCs as consumers and businesses choose to buy less expensive mobile devices. That’s a fair point. As the global economy heals, however, don’t expect PC sales to rise with it. Our mobile devices are more capable than ever before and becoming more capable every day. Thank the maturity of apps, faster mobile broadband networks, use of the cloud and improved mobile chips for these and future advances.
Be Relevant On Consumers' Most Important Device (AdAge)
By 2017, 85% of the world will be covered by 3G mobile internet and half will have 4G coverage, according to Sony Ericsson. Three billion smartphone users will contribute to data traffic that's 15x heavier than today's. For more and more consumers, the most important screen will be the tiny one in their pocket. There needs to be more ad spending on mobile, which now comprises only about 1% of budgets, according to a recent study from Marketing Evolution. Based on ROI analyses of smartphone penetration, that figure will be about 7%. In five years' time, that number will need to be in excess of 10%. Over the next five years, here's how we get from here to there.
10 Common Mobile App User Complaints (Mashable)
While apps may be efficient and convenient, a user is not afraid to vocalize (or tweet) complaints about an app’s shortcomings. Here are some of the most common:
- Too many emails
- Irrelevant push notifications
- When great apps are abandoned
- Frequent "rate this app" requests
- Connecting to Facebook unnecessarily
- Full-screen ads
- Video ads
- Non-wrapping text
- Non-retina apps
- Desperate pleas for followers
What are your mobile app pet peeves?
A Mobile-Optimized Site Is Important For Your Business (American Express OPEN Forum)
Mobile traffic currently makes up 10% of global Internet traffic and next year more people will use mobile phones than PCs to get online. Purchases made on mobile devices amounted to $6.7 billion in the U.S. last year, or about 8% of total online sales, and are expected to nearly double to $11.6 billion this year. By 2015, U.S. mobile sales are forecast to reach $31 billion. What's more, a recent Google survey found that:
- Mobile sites lead to mobile purchases
- If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, shoppers will go elsewhere
- A bad mobile experience can damage a company’s brand
Convinced yet?
Why Mobile Video Is Set To Explode (Business Insider)
Mobile video has historically been held back by a single factor: bandwidth. But 4G LTE is changing that, and mobile video is already more popular on the faster wireless networks. Mobile video is quickly becoming a mass consumer phenomenon, much as digital photos were earlier in the smartphone adoption cycle. In a new report, BI Intelligence analyzes the impact of 4G LTE and device design improvements on mobile video growth, examines who watches mobile video and how they watch it, and details the mobile video monetization opportunity.
Is It Time To Consider NFC As Part Of Your Mobile Marketing Strategy? (Firebrand)
NFC is simple. It’s the ability for you to tap your phone against either another phone, a credit reading device or against a simple sticker (or tag) that is NFC-ready. This “one tap” of your phone instantly exchanges simple data. For example, it can make a payment, open up a website on your mobile browser, it can open an App, or make a phone call to a set number or enable / disable functionality of your phone. There are 3 trends in mobile/NFC that will enhance your future marketing:
- Smart tagging
- Sharing (peer-to-peer)
- Payment
NFC is going to make your advertising and marketing so much more effective, as it brings the digital world into the real world.
Does HTML5 Really Live Up To The Hype? (Under World Magazines)
Many tech-based companies, website developers, and programming professionals are wildly excited about HTML5. The new language is hoped to fix many of the issues with the current programming system, which has a difficult time working with modern website trends and content. Since the version currently in use now was finalized in 1997, it is no surprise that it can no longer handle the programming demands of the modern website. Whether or not the programming language will live up to the hype overall is yet to be seen. Many mobile devices and Internet browsers cannot read the language yet. Although those that have seen and used the initial development of HTML5 love the direction of the new changes, the language is still too new and underdeveloped to determine if it is able to resolve all of the issues with the current system.
Why You Should Care About Mobile Security (Mashable)
As we keep buying more smartphones and tablets, it opens up the door that much further for cybercriminals to push through malware, phishing scams and other malicious traps. About 59% of organizations have experienced an increase in malware due to insecure mobile devices, and many of which stem from apps. For a full look at how cybercriminals are targeting mobile devices and what you can do to secure your mobile gadgets, check out this infographic:
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