The Mobile OS Battle Is Not Over Yet
Some people think that developing for other platforms than iOS and Android is meaningless. Many declare all other platforms dead. For the last 3 years, I’ve been told that J2ME is dead. But still in 2011, on a worldwide base, there will be more J2ME enabled devices sold than smartphones. People also belive that Blackberry is a dead platform, that Microsoft has zero chance to succeed in mobile, that no one will develop apps for Palm/HP WebOS and that WAC is a failure before it has even had a chance to launch.
It might be dangerous to make statements like this. The industry moves extremely quickly and there are a lot of factors involved. This is why I believe that the mobile OS battle will continue for some time:
1. The operators/carriers don’t want Apple and Google to gain complete dominance
The operator device teams at operators made it clear during conversations at Mobile World Congress that they don’t want Google or Apple to dominate completely. They will continue to back Nokia with the Windows Phone, RIM with Blackberry OS, Limo as the operator partnership and WAC as a cross-platform development platform.
2. Failing is not an option
For RIM, HP and Microsoft failing is not an option. The Blackberry OS made RIM successful and this is what lead HP to acquire Palm WebOS. Microsoft is probably the company that has the most to lose. Their strategic deal with Nokia they has proven how far they are willing to go to achieve their objectives. If RIM fail with Blackberry OS they will go down for the count as a smart phone manufacturer.
3. Device manufacturers and OS developers have deep pockets
Nokia, Samsung, RIM, HP and Microsoft all have big cash piles to execute their mobile OS strategy. They may not get the same number of app developers to adopt their platform as Apple or Google and they may fail in the long term. However, it does mean that they can invest huge amounts of money in marketing, pay developers for app development and get big brands and services such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Google, etc. to build for their platform. They will not give up in the next 2-3 years.
4. Consumers still want choice
There is still demand for different solutions by consumers. Not only is the mobile phone a fashion statement – people want different looking phones – but there is also a demand for different screen sizes, input mechanisms and shapes. A great example is Blackberry which has continued to be very successful among business users as well as teenagers thanks to the keyboard and great messaging services.
5. Money is not everything
Having said that several of the mobile OS players have very deep pockets money is definitely not everything. Nokia allegedly spent as much money on R&D for Symbian and Qt as Apple has on R&D. Despite this they failed. At the same time Palm WebOS, which is considered one of the most advanced smartphone platforms, was developed by a small team within Palm and with the distribution of HP it might succeed.
What shall you bet on for the future?
Having said that the battle will continue there is no question about who is dominating at the moment. iOS and Android are currently the platforms of choice. Other platforms are prioritized, based on promotion agreements with the device manufacturers and carriers. I believe that there are great opportunities for differentiation and distribution by embracing the full mobile ecosystem.
Magnus is the CEO and Founder of Golden Gekko, the largest mobile app developer in Europe. He started the company in 2006 based on a vision that apps would revolutionise mobile consumption in the future. He has over 10 years proven experience with mobile and broadband operators across the world with development and implementation of marketing strategies and due diligence of suppliers that have lead to the successful launch of industry leading products & services. Before leaving Vodafone Magnus was leading the development of the global product marketing strategy for Vodafone’s consumer team including services such as mobile TV, mobile music and casual gaming that generated more than 1.4Bn in 2006. Prior to this Magnus had marketing and strategy roles at Vodafone, Orange, Driftbolaget and Framfab. He is also the co-founder of three successful start-ups whereof one was sold in 2001 and the second one went public in 2003. Few other people in the mobile industry come close to Magnus knowledge, experience and network in the business.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Magnus_L_Jern
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