Is mobile the maturation of the internet as a whole? People have been talking about the development of the net forever and its explosion over the last decade and a half. Now that mobile technology is flourishing and wireless data is exploding we are seeing the potential of what a data rich world can provide. Slowly but surely we no long have to be chained to a desk but can take our data with us wherever we go. It is not just through smartphones but iPad type devices that we incorporate into our daily life that is fundamentally changing what data means to us?
In the short term this means that we are paying for our devices as the data access points and could be paying the same companies per device. We are seeing this with the iPad, iPhone and other devices. When these devices reach a certain point consumer pressure and changing models will have to adapt to new usage patterns. The consumer will only pay for data separately up to a point and there will come a time when at least I hope where I can get a data plan pool and dip any device I choose into it. That flexibility will be cost a premium at first but it will decline over time. (I hope)
This depends on the marketplace and in Canada I can see this being a very slow and gradual process that may not even come to pass given the power and influence of the telecommunication firms have. Mobile is changing so fast it can make your head spin but rich media is a part of many of our lives and that will only expand and quickly as the iPhone and Android platforms are showing.
Mobile with GPS becomes a powerful tool and foursquare shows us how engagement and a real ability to change behaviour. While this may never represent the majority of people it will continue to grow. The ability for advertisers and companies to tap into these markets is what the evolution of the internet is becoming. Think of Japan as it is today with mobile but increase the scale and level the platforms more and that is where I think we are heading. Mobile is the maturation of the internet and its incorporation into our daily lives wherever we are.
Welcome to the next battleground. Run and duck and be prepared to fight it out as there will be some winners and many losers as we figure out what it means to live in a sea of data anytime, anywhere and as that comes to all of us not just the few.