Mobile Fix: Don’t call it the iPad 3 or the iPad HD
Simon Andrews, founder of the full service mobile agency addictive!, on the new iPad, which he thinks is an Apple product that will evolve more gradually than in the past…
So the big news this week is the new iPad. Launched to rather subdued press it is an evolution rather than the revolution some expected.
The new iPad looks pretty much like the old ones – just a little fatter and a little heavier. The main features are the screen – with a wonderfully high resolution screen display – the speed and the software.
The launch supports our thinking from last week that we’ve reached a point where the form factor of hardware doesn’t have anywhere to go – so, just like all phones now look like iPhones, all tablets are going to end up looking pretty similar to iPads.
The screen is about as good as you can get – retina display, which means that pixel density is so high that it’s virtually impossible to see them, so you can read much faster – almost as fast as reading paper.
The speed is something that is less relevant, given that on this side of the Atlantic 4G isn’t expected for another couple of years. But as well as the faster network connectivity, the new chip is very fast too. Combining the quality of screen with much faster processing suggests this iPad will be great for gaming – accelerating the move from consoles to apps for the big game franchises.
On software it was interesting that they stressed tools for creating content. If tablets are really to be the PC killer, people need to be able to do more than just consume content on them.
Coupled with the same prices as the current model, this is actually a big step forward for Apple. By not using the numbers to name the new iPad, Apple suggest that this is a product that will evolve more gradually than in the past. And just as the iPhone 4S has been a huge success, despite not being that much more advanced the 4, we should expect the new iPad to do very well.
Morgan Stanley certainly think so. Their new research (which lacks the panache that Mary Meeker used to add, but is still really good) suggests we’ll see 10 billion mobile devices by 2020 – up from two billion now. Tablets are a major factor in this growth with Morgan Stanley thinking that adoption in enterprises will be bigger than anticipated, that they are coming to be seen as content creation devices and international demand is similar to the US.
Of course the bad news for everyone in the tablet market is that Apple are keeping the iPad2 on sale – but at a reduced price.
Slow progress to faster networks
While the delays in auctioning the necessary spectrum continue it is still unclear when the UK will get 4G, but there is some glimmers of hope. BT is trialing technology that uses the white space between TV channels spectrum for mobile. This test in Cornwall creates something like a much faster version of wifi, and replaces a test by EveryThing Everywhere of 4G. It’s not a viable alternative to 4G as it isn’t well suited to urban areas.
But these higher speeds will come – Everything Everywhere are hoping to launch a faster service this year, subject to Ofcom approval. So when thinking through your mobile strategy you need to consider the likely situation in just 18 months phones will be considerably more powerful and running on much faster networks. How do you plan to take advantage of that opportunity?
MVNOs back in fashion
Samuel Eto, the worlds highest paid footballer on £350k a week, is to launch his own MVNO in Cameroon – using his fame to attract customers to his phone service. Offering cheap handsets and low charges, MVNOs are a key factor in many markets with Tesco Mobile, Virgin Mobile and GiffGaff the best known UK examples.
But as the mobile ecology gets richer, we expect more brands to use this strategy to get closers to their customers. If you are providing customers with mobile and service through apps, extending that relationship to providing the connectivity could make a lot of sense. Lidl are launching one in Hungary.
Imagine if Tesco blended their wide range of apps with the Tesco Mobile service, offering enhanced services for their customers? Or could Virgin combine their ownership of Northern Rock (and their investment in Square) with Virgin Mobile to launch a truly integrated mobile banking service?
A few years ago we argued that an MVNO could be a good move for Google and we still think it has value. Brands have looked for ways of deepening their connection through mobile for years – not that long ago Unilever worked with Nokia to develop branded handsets for their Brazilian shampoo brand Seda.
Mobile Money losing momentum?
Commentators think that the momentum in mobile money has slowed significantly, citing the lack of much new around the topic at Mobile World Congress.
We are seeing some progress in the UK with Visa taking a 15% stake in Mobile Money Network, the mobile business backed by Carphone Warehouse. And Visa believe that half their business in Europe will be on mobile by 2020.
There is an infographic from PayPal showing the potential of mobile money but we think the fixation with NFC could derail the growth of mobile wallets. We expanded our thinking on the subject for an article on MediaTel’s Newsline – talking of the danger of waiting for some future event rather than tapping the huge potential of current technologies that already have millions of users.
Facebook & Mobile
If you didn’t have time to watch the Barcelona keynote from Facebooks CTO that we mentioned last week, there is a good interview with him on our blog. He talks about how Facebook is committed to open mobile standards and HTML5, which we believe can make a huge difference to the app versus mobile web debate. Facebook can facilitate paying for mobile webapps and drive their distribution and discovery, leveling the playing field with the Apple and Android app ecosystems.
Given that in December Facebook had 58 million people who only used their mobile product, they can see a future where the PC is much less important to them and they can’t afford to be under the influence of Apple or Google in mobile.
Although mobile is a huge opportunity for Facebook it is also a significant threat. Whilst no-one is going to emerge on the desktop web, as people transition onto mobile there is a danger that old habits get replaced by new ones. It is not unfeasible that a mobile focused start up could emerge as a threat to Facebook and some believe they are already very worried about Path
We are big fans of Path and think the experience is far superior to Facebook on mobile – both in terms of UX and functionality. And their new version – out yesterday – now includes a neat integration of nike+, a shazam like music discovery feature and lots of improvements to the camera functionality. With just two million users it’s tiny in comparison to Facebook, but it’s a great service and in our experience gets great advocacy. It’s one to watch.
Finally… we still see big potential for QR codes but as an industry we’re doing a pretty good job of screwing up the opportunity.
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