New research finds that an increasing number of younger smartphone users prefer mobile apps over Web browsers, impacting the market for mobile content and accelerating the flow of advertising dollars to app-based content services.
The majority of consumers who prefer to use apps over mobile Web browsers are under 35 years of age. Mobile apps are already the dominant medium for access to Internet radio (including Pandora), maps, social networks, navigation (including Google Maps), and games. Netflix has developed an app for the iPad and iPhone which could increase video use as well.
While mobile apps will not completely replace Web browsers, content owners and distributors that rely too much on mobile Web might lose audience and revenues.
Comment from Harry Wang, Director of Mobile Product Research, Parks Associates: Consumers under 35 are starting to ditch browsers in favor of mobile apps, where they don't have to type in a Web address or contend with slow browser speeds. They are also put off by Web pages that do not fit the small phone screen, whereas the mobile app is native to the platform. The mobile experience is all about convenience and instantaneous access. The advantages of mobile apps could lead to a new content distribution environment for paid and ad-supported media services.
Contact: http://www.parksassociates.com
Showing posts with label Smartphone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smartphone. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Companies Concerned About Convergence Of Mobile Devices For Work, Personal Use
Enterprises are increasingly concerned about the potential security risks mobile devices pose to corporate networks and data, especially as employees use the same device for both work and personal activities, according to a study that reveals the need for a layered approach to creating a holistic enterprise security strategy.
Nine of 10 organizations either provide, or soon will provide, mobile devices for employee use, with BlackBerry smartphones outnumbering all other devices.
Enterprises are trying to manage the consumerization of mobile IT. Seventy percent of employees say they are allowed to use their corporate devices for personal activities. A smaller but still significant number of workers -- 48 percent -- say they can use their personally owned mobile devices to connect to corporate systems.
Still, many enterprises are concerned about employees' mixing work-related tasks on their mobile devices with social networking, web conferencing, media sharing and other personal activities. Eight of 10 respondents believe smartphones expose their business to attack, with data leakage cited as the top security concern.
Comment from Graham Titterington, a principal analyst at Ovum and author of the report: Employees will want to use their devices, no matter who owns them, for both their work and personal lives. It is unrealistic to delineate between these uses for employees who are mobile and working out of the office for a large part of their time. That means organizations must establish a holistic security strategy that addresses the consumerization of this fast-growing channel into corporate networks and data.
But protection is spotty. Among the 52 percent of organizations that use some form of authentication for mobile users, 62 percent rely on simple user name and password sign-on. Only 18 percent use Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificates, and just nine percent utilize two-factor authentication featuring one-time passwords. One quarter use anti-virus and anti-malware solutions.
Comment from Mike Jones, mobile security specialist at Symantec: For many professionals, the mobile phone has become a mobile office. But that doesn't mean enterprises need to leave themselves vulnerable to data breach, malware and other threats. A layered approach to mobile security allows enterprises to protect themselves and their users at every point of access, even before a phone receives a message or data transmission.
Comment from Roger Dean, director at EEMA: As this new study bears out, putting a smartphone security strategy in place is now a business imperative. But how many organizations have the in-house expertise required to develop and implement a mobile strategy that fits seamlessly with their overall security profile?
Contact: http://www.symantec.com
Nine of 10 organizations either provide, or soon will provide, mobile devices for employee use, with BlackBerry smartphones outnumbering all other devices.
Enterprises are trying to manage the consumerization of mobile IT. Seventy percent of employees say they are allowed to use their corporate devices for personal activities. A smaller but still significant number of workers -- 48 percent -- say they can use their personally owned mobile devices to connect to corporate systems.
Still, many enterprises are concerned about employees' mixing work-related tasks on their mobile devices with social networking, web conferencing, media sharing and other personal activities. Eight of 10 respondents believe smartphones expose their business to attack, with data leakage cited as the top security concern.
Comment from Graham Titterington, a principal analyst at Ovum and author of the report: Employees will want to use their devices, no matter who owns them, for both their work and personal lives. It is unrealistic to delineate between these uses for employees who are mobile and working out of the office for a large part of their time. That means organizations must establish a holistic security strategy that addresses the consumerization of this fast-growing channel into corporate networks and data.
But protection is spotty. Among the 52 percent of organizations that use some form of authentication for mobile users, 62 percent rely on simple user name and password sign-on. Only 18 percent use Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificates, and just nine percent utilize two-factor authentication featuring one-time passwords. One quarter use anti-virus and anti-malware solutions.
Comment from Mike Jones, mobile security specialist at Symantec: For many professionals, the mobile phone has become a mobile office. But that doesn't mean enterprises need to leave themselves vulnerable to data breach, malware and other threats. A layered approach to mobile security allows enterprises to protect themselves and their users at every point of access, even before a phone receives a message or data transmission.
Comment from Roger Dean, director at EEMA: As this new study bears out, putting a smartphone security strategy in place is now a business imperative. But how many organizations have the in-house expertise required to develop and implement a mobile strategy that fits seamlessly with their overall security profile?
Contact: http://www.symantec.com
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Erosion Expected In RIM's Enterprise Smartphone Market Share, But BlackBerry Will Claim Top Spot in 2015
Global smartphone shipments to mobile business customers will to grow at a CAGR of 15 percent, according to new research. The mobile business customer smartphone installed base will exceed 30 percent worldwide; in North America, it will exceed 65 percent.
But behind these numbers will be a hyper-competitive marketplace defined by the operating system.
Comment from ABI Research enterprise practice director Dan Shey: With the iPhone and now Android, business customers simply have more choices. While each region will have a different set of competitive dynamics, within a few years regional installed base market shares of 50 percent+ will be a thing of the past.Security, applications, and device management capabilities will be key determinants of success for each platform -- but not necessarily in that order.
Relevant worldwide and regional installed base statistics from the analysis include:
-- North America: BlackBerry will maintain its leadership position but Apple and Android will gain a solid presence. If Verizon launches the iPhone, iOS market share will grow even more.
-- Western Europe: Android's share will grow the most as Windows' share slips.
-- Latin America: Installed base share will shift from a customer base using mainly Windows to one shared nearly equally by Windows, Symbian and BlackBerry.
-- Asia Pacific: Symbian's market share will drop significantly but Symbian will still maintain its lead; Android will reach the number two position.
About the study: ABI Research's "Enterprise Smartphones" study provides an in-depth view of the smartphone ecosystem driving growth of these devices among mobile business customers. Analysis reviews the features most valuable to business customers on a platform-by-platform basis. This analysis is quantified at the regional level providing a market share analysis of shipments and installed base for enterprise customers. Shipments and installed base are also determined for industry verticals and for four sizes of business for the Asia Pacific, North American and Western European markets.
Contact: http://www.abiresearch.com/research/1005776
But behind these numbers will be a hyper-competitive marketplace defined by the operating system.
Comment from ABI Research enterprise practice director Dan Shey: With the iPhone and now Android, business customers simply have more choices. While each region will have a different set of competitive dynamics, within a few years regional installed base market shares of 50 percent+ will be a thing of the past.Security, applications, and device management capabilities will be key determinants of success for each platform -- but not necessarily in that order.
Relevant worldwide and regional installed base statistics from the analysis include:
-- North America: BlackBerry will maintain its leadership position but Apple and Android will gain a solid presence. If Verizon launches the iPhone, iOS market share will grow even more.
-- Western Europe: Android's share will grow the most as Windows' share slips.
-- Latin America: Installed base share will shift from a customer base using mainly Windows to one shared nearly equally by Windows, Symbian and BlackBerry.
-- Asia Pacific: Symbian's market share will drop significantly but Symbian will still maintain its lead; Android will reach the number two position.
About the study: ABI Research's "Enterprise Smartphones" study provides an in-depth view of the smartphone ecosystem driving growth of these devices among mobile business customers. Analysis reviews the features most valuable to business customers on a platform-by-platform basis. This analysis is quantified at the regional level providing a market share analysis of shipments and installed base for enterprise customers. Shipments and installed base are also determined for industry verticals and for four sizes of business for the Asia Pacific, North American and Western European markets.
Contact: http://www.abiresearch.com/research/1005776
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wireless Service Providers Say the "Capacity Crunch" Impacts Brand Perception
Mobile networks are struggling to cope. More than 60 percent of wireless service providers interviewed in a recent survey are experiencing data congestion, with 20 percent registering severe overload at specific times. Service providers in the Middle East and Africa report that this overload poses serious consequences for their brand reputation and has led to an increase in customer complaints around service quality; Asian and American operators say it is contributing to churn.
Other key findings:
-- Data demand is driven by smartphones and laptops with mobile broadband: In the Americas and Europe smartphones are driving data demand, accounting for more than 40 percent of total data consumption. In Asia, the Middle East and Africa, laptops with mobile broadband is the key driver. A further factor fueling demand is flat-rate data tariffs where "bandwidth hogs," although comprising only an estimated 2-3 percent of the customer base, are consuming approximately 30 percent of the network's capacity, contributing to further service degradation for the overall user base.
-- Quality of service design is a major challenge: 75 percent of wireless service providers surveyed view end-to-end quality of service (QOS) design - which ensures a satisfactory customer experience during a voice call or data transfer - as having the greatest impact on their bottom line through increased customer support costs and customer churn. Respondents stated that specialist planning, design and capacity management tools are required to prevent issues such as loss of signal, cross-talk and slow service response time.
-- Heavy network expansion is underway; Ethernet is a priority: Wireless service providers see building out additional network capacity as essential, with 97 percent of those surveyed stating they intended to roll out Ethernet to alleviate congestion. Respondents said that the gap between the growth in demand for capacity as compared to revenues received for data services was a matter of concern when considering extra investment.
Comment from Teresa Cottam, research director of Telesperience, the firm that conducted the research: Wireless service providers want to provide a good quality of service for customers, but the challenge they face is that they have been caught in a 'perfect storm' with data demand doubling year on year, yet revenues are static due to flat-rate pricing. By blindly throwing capacity at the problem, it becomes harder for operators to cope with data growth. A smarter approach to capacity management and network planning is needed for future success, with quality of service providing the competitive differentiator.
Comment from Rebecca Prudhomme, vice president of product and solutions marketing at Amdocs: The capacity crunch is not just a network problem, it's a widespread commercial and brand issue that wireless service providers need to address in the short and long term. While service providers are adding extra capacity to their networks in the short term, they need to explore policy management solutions to enforce traffic flows and enable premium rate charging. But policy management on its own will not solve the problem. It's about combining policy with charging capabilities and network knowledge. Rigorous engineering of network capacity is critical to ensure customer experience is not compromised and that brand equity is protected.
About the survey: The survey outlines the scale and significance of the data capacity crunch for mobile network service providers and their customers. The survey examined wireless service providers' strategies for coping with the increasing demand for data on their networks while maintaining acceptable service quality. The survey took place last month and is based on 30 interviews with senior executives and network planners from 30 wireless service providers worldwide. The survey was conducted by Telesperience, a UK-based telecoms analyst firm focused on how technology impacts the operational and commercial performance of telecom service providers and the customer experience they deliver.
Contact: http://www.amdocs.com
Other key findings:
-- Data demand is driven by smartphones and laptops with mobile broadband: In the Americas and Europe smartphones are driving data demand, accounting for more than 40 percent of total data consumption. In Asia, the Middle East and Africa, laptops with mobile broadband is the key driver. A further factor fueling demand is flat-rate data tariffs where "bandwidth hogs," although comprising only an estimated 2-3 percent of the customer base, are consuming approximately 30 percent of the network's capacity, contributing to further service degradation for the overall user base.
-- Quality of service design is a major challenge: 75 percent of wireless service providers surveyed view end-to-end quality of service (QOS) design - which ensures a satisfactory customer experience during a voice call or data transfer - as having the greatest impact on their bottom line through increased customer support costs and customer churn. Respondents stated that specialist planning, design and capacity management tools are required to prevent issues such as loss of signal, cross-talk and slow service response time.
-- Heavy network expansion is underway; Ethernet is a priority: Wireless service providers see building out additional network capacity as essential, with 97 percent of those surveyed stating they intended to roll out Ethernet to alleviate congestion. Respondents said that the gap between the growth in demand for capacity as compared to revenues received for data services was a matter of concern when considering extra investment.
Comment from Teresa Cottam, research director of Telesperience, the firm that conducted the research: Wireless service providers want to provide a good quality of service for customers, but the challenge they face is that they have been caught in a 'perfect storm' with data demand doubling year on year, yet revenues are static due to flat-rate pricing. By blindly throwing capacity at the problem, it becomes harder for operators to cope with data growth. A smarter approach to capacity management and network planning is needed for future success, with quality of service providing the competitive differentiator.
Comment from Rebecca Prudhomme, vice president of product and solutions marketing at Amdocs: The capacity crunch is not just a network problem, it's a widespread commercial and brand issue that wireless service providers need to address in the short and long term. While service providers are adding extra capacity to their networks in the short term, they need to explore policy management solutions to enforce traffic flows and enable premium rate charging. But policy management on its own will not solve the problem. It's about combining policy with charging capabilities and network knowledge. Rigorous engineering of network capacity is critical to ensure customer experience is not compromised and that brand equity is protected.
About the survey: The survey outlines the scale and significance of the data capacity crunch for mobile network service providers and their customers. The survey examined wireless service providers' strategies for coping with the increasing demand for data on their networks while maintaining acceptable service quality. The survey took place last month and is based on 30 interviews with senior executives and network planners from 30 wireless service providers worldwide. The survey was conducted by Telesperience, a UK-based telecoms analyst firm focused on how technology impacts the operational and commercial performance of telecom service providers and the customer experience they deliver.
Contact: http://www.amdocs.com
Consumer Use Of Health-Related Mobile Applications Will Grow
Mobile apps are being embraced by a growing population of "Smartphone" users (an 8 percent increase in uptake in the last year). Consequently, use of healthcare-related apps will mirror this growth in the coming year, as consumers acclimate to "ambient healthcare," i.e., the implementation of the myriad digital, mobile and social tools available for health management.
The uptake in mobile communications is largely being driven by Smartphone usage. While only 27 percent of consumers polled have ever downloaded an app of any kind, this represented an 8 percent increase in usage from the previous year and the concentration of Smartphone users within this population was a full 67 percent. The overall number of consumers who stated they would be willing to use a mobile device to obtain health information also increased in the past year, from 37 to 48 percent.
Additional findings from this research include:
-- While only a small fraction of consumers have downloaded healthcare apps, approximately half of the total consumers and approximately three-fourths of Smartphone users expressed a willingness to do so
-- While the market penetration for healthcare apps remains quite low, 62 percent of those who have used one ranked their experience as positive
-- Of those willing to use mobile devices to capture healthcare info, 67 percent agreed that having available info on a mobile device would be helpful or improve the information's value
-- The majority of consumers discover apps by either browsing an "app store" or from recommendations by friends or family
-- Consumers trust doctors most of all for recommendations on health and wellness apps, followed by friends and family; they trust social networks least of all these options
-- The future is optimistic for mobile health and wellness apps--44 percent of Smartphone users surveyed expect to use more mobile health and wellness apps in the future
Comment from Marian Salzman, president, Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, North America: As recently as last month, even Wired magazine declared "The Web is dead." We know consumers are moving away from previously established Internet habits and gravitating toward mobile apps and social tools to drive their online experiences. Therefore, it makes sense that this trend would also extend to the way they collect and utilize health information online. Euro RSCG intends to be at the forefront of this new phase of communication.
Comment from said Larry Mickelberg, chief digital officer, Euro RSCG Life Worldwide: At Euro RSCG Life 4D, we constantly measure the current cultural mindset in order to advance the state of the art in the digital space. Last year, we listened to what consumers had to say about digital and social media with regard to health, and we presented those results to the FDA at their Part 15 hearing in November. This year, we took a deeper look at these communication patterns and found that mobile has the potential to become the primarily digital channel through which health information and support flows.
About the survey: Euro RSCG Life 4D conducted the online survey with MicoDialogue, a digital and social media research firm. Results are reported in a report entitled "Bigger Than DTC? The Promise of Mobile Health." The first in a new series of POVs from the agency, called "4Thought," the paper is available now for download at . The survey, which builds upon previous research conducted in October 2009, examined usage and uptake of mobile applications (or "apps") among a sample of 502 online users.
Contact: http://www.eurorscglife.com
Contact: http://www.eurorscglife.com/sites/default/files/u12/4THOUGHT.pdf
The uptake in mobile communications is largely being driven by Smartphone usage. While only 27 percent of consumers polled have ever downloaded an app of any kind, this represented an 8 percent increase in usage from the previous year and the concentration of Smartphone users within this population was a full 67 percent. The overall number of consumers who stated they would be willing to use a mobile device to obtain health information also increased in the past year, from 37 to 48 percent.
Additional findings from this research include:
-- While only a small fraction of consumers have downloaded healthcare apps, approximately half of the total consumers and approximately three-fourths of Smartphone users expressed a willingness to do so
-- While the market penetration for healthcare apps remains quite low, 62 percent of those who have used one ranked their experience as positive
-- Of those willing to use mobile devices to capture healthcare info, 67 percent agreed that having available info on a mobile device would be helpful or improve the information's value
-- The majority of consumers discover apps by either browsing an "app store" or from recommendations by friends or family
-- Consumers trust doctors most of all for recommendations on health and wellness apps, followed by friends and family; they trust social networks least of all these options
-- The future is optimistic for mobile health and wellness apps--44 percent of Smartphone users surveyed expect to use more mobile health and wellness apps in the future
Comment from Marian Salzman, president, Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, North America: As recently as last month, even Wired magazine declared "The Web is dead." We know consumers are moving away from previously established Internet habits and gravitating toward mobile apps and social tools to drive their online experiences. Therefore, it makes sense that this trend would also extend to the way they collect and utilize health information online. Euro RSCG intends to be at the forefront of this new phase of communication.
Comment from said Larry Mickelberg, chief digital officer, Euro RSCG Life Worldwide: At Euro RSCG Life 4D, we constantly measure the current cultural mindset in order to advance the state of the art in the digital space. Last year, we listened to what consumers had to say about digital and social media with regard to health, and we presented those results to the FDA at their Part 15 hearing in November. This year, we took a deeper look at these communication patterns and found that mobile has the potential to become the primarily digital channel through which health information and support flows.
About the survey: Euro RSCG Life 4D conducted the online survey with MicoDialogue, a digital and social media research firm. Results are reported in a report entitled "Bigger Than DTC? The Promise of Mobile Health." The first in a new series of POVs from the agency, called "4Thought," the paper is available now for download at . The survey, which builds upon previous research conducted in October 2009, examined usage and uptake of mobile applications (or "apps") among a sample of 502 online users.
Contact: http://www.eurorscglife.com
Contact: http://www.eurorscglife.com/sites/default/files/u12/4THOUGHT.pdf
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