Is There a Mobile Divide?
Posted by Nick O'Neill on August 14th, 2008 9:37 PMIn the middle of a phone call today, something dawned on me. Just as there is a “digital divide”, there may also be a “mobile divide” based on the types of phones people have access to. Hear me out on this one. While a small portion of us debate (as pictured in the video below) the battle between iPhone and Google’s soon to be released Android Phone, a much larger portion of individuals still have phones that they don’t access internet on. While there is most definitely an upcoming shift, the majority of users still do not use their phone for browsing the web.
According to a recent study by Nielsen, only 15.6 percent of users in the U.S. access the mobile web and this country leads among all other countries. While a large portion of mobile users will begin accessing the mobile web, the majority remain disconnected. While this doesn’t impact the mobile disconnected population the same way that the lack of internet access at home does, having access to all information on the go most definitely provides an advantage.
It’s no wonder then that four of the top ten websites accessed via a mobile device in May of this year were e-mail sites. Business in general has become mobile and as such I would suggest that those not accessing the web via their mobile device are at a competitive disadvantage. My guess is that most people that visit this site have viewed a website on their mobile device.
It’s very easy to become spoiled with technology. While traveling, you’ll find me immediately turn on my phone as my airplane touches down and I’ll read my email and get all the latest news. I’m not alone as I frequently observe my fellow flight passengers doing the same thing. While being “hyper-connected” can create more stress, it also can improve productivity.
While mobile web usage will surely grow dramatically over the coming years, I think that it’s important to recognize that the majority of the world still does not browse the web or use mobile web services via their mobile device.
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You're absolutely right about the mobile divide. Like many technological advances in the past this one is also about the economics of the marketplace especially in the US where users expect devices to be greatly subsidized. While Nokia, RIM, HTC & Sony Ericsson are trying to gauge the market response to unlocked devices via Best Buy they haven't introduced low end devices in the sub $100 range that will gain the mass adoption for data required in the marketplace. In fact, several OEMs have stated their focus on low end VO+SMS devices for the high growth Asian markets to make up for the volumes.
While we continue to discuss fully featured browsers for mobile devices that offer many rich services there's a huge market in WAP services that many fail to capitalize on.
Given the varied level of capabilites that any 2 given WAP browsers have it's understandable why any developer would not want to go to the extent of supporting WAP - it's too costly for supporting so many different WAP browsers.
While a HTC device with Android is still very welcome I'm waiting to see when a variation of Andoid will be available for low end ARM9 equipped devices which may not meet today's requirements for Android. This will truly drive the adoption of data services amongst price conscious users & possibly make data plans a standard offering among the carriers & provide an opportunity to bolster their revenies from data ARPU.
As with the internet broadband it is a matter of time that we'll see users warming up to internet access via their mobile devices.
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Raj captures part of the problem but so does the study. It's not just the cost of the devices, it's the cost of the services. Most mobile providers have been pricing data plans at "corporate" or "business" prices. It's just too expensive, iPhone plans are starting at $60 / month (i.e. $720+ / year)
If I'm single and don't have a landline, that's cool. If I'm running a business and can bill usage to the business, sure. But this doesn't scale to normal users. My wife and I aren't going to spend $1450+ / year plus $400+ for the phones. If we ad kids, that's another $240+ for their phone line too.
you’ll find me immediately turn on my phone as my airplane touches down
And I'm sure there are a bunch of you. Me, I turn on my phone so that I can text my ride, so I don't know what you can read into the activities of others.
Business in general has become mobile and as such I would suggest that those not accessing the web via their mobile device are at a competitive disadvantage.
And I think you've nailed the divide right there. Most people aren't businesses and simply can't afford the "competitive advantage". Until we get "personal" pricing, these things are simply not mainstream.
This is why your article about the iPhone as the new social gaming platform was so far removed from reality. There just aren't enough people with mobile net access, let alone iPhones for any successful game to become anything more than "cult".
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