As smart phone screens get bigger with each generation of phones and as tablets are getting smaller with each generation, we are seeing the growth of a middle area product that tends to occupy the sweet spot between the two devices. We are also finding that for many businesses mobile applications developed specifically for phablets are an optimal solution given the extra screen space, portability and ease of use.
Samsung was the manufacturer that really set the stage with the Galaxy Note and just like their campaign for the Galaxy Note II says, its a “Phone? Tablet? Best of Both.” This is a spot in the market that appears to be growing and influential. Barclays predicts that phablet shipments will nearly double and get to around 228 million units by 2015.
The larger, high resolution displays on these devices are great for high powered mobile applications and yet offer portability that tablets don’t quite match as they are so easy to hold in one hand.
This portability makes mobile applications for business uses a perfect product to optimize for phablet usage. If you have business processes that relies on data entry such as questionnaires or inventory, etc, apps specifically developed for these devices are a perfect way to streamline your processes and work with a device that is ideal for the app and activity.
Mobile commerce isn’t the up and coming thing to be on the look at for and it certainly isn’t an opportunity for savvy business people any more. Mobile commerce has become a full fledged reality and in 2013 if you are not competing in this market space you are running a serious risk to being left behind.
Just this week, Intela, a key player in database marketing services, released a new report offering great insight into the growth of mobile commerce with the mobile web and mobile applications. It turns out that as of right now almost half of all Americans (44%) and 40% of UK consumers are likely to make purchases via mobile device.
Another key finding included in their report highlight the fact that email that has been optimized for mobile devices is key trigger for smart brands to cue smartphone owners to make purchases via the mobile applications or mobile web sites on their mobile phones. In fact approximately one third (36%) of Americans are finding this very effective.
Along with the growth of mobile commerce, we are seeing changing patterns in how consumers are paying for goods. Younger consumers seem prone to using NFC payment systems within focus groups of shoppers under the age of 40 (according to Mercator Advisory Group) and mobile payment options are resonating with this demographic very strongly.
Business mobile applications can no longer stand on the sidelines and be simply informative. Mobile consumers are ready to buy via their mobile devices and mobile applications should be designed to accommodate this trend. Additionally, mobile applications need to be developed to utilize mobile payment options and be attune to usage patterns with regards to their demographic.
While global PC shipments sounds like they grew a solid 12% year-on-year for 2012 now that Q4 numbers are rolling in, you have to include tablets to arrive at that number. In fact one in every six PCs shipped during Q4 was an iPad. During the Q4 of 2012, Apple secured a 20% share of global PC shipments for the quarter, thanks mostly to strong iPad sales. Q4 numbers without tablets paint a much different picture – worldwide PC shipments without tablets were only 89.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2012, down 6.4% from the same quarter in 2011.
Principal analyst at Gartner, Mikako Kitagawa, states that tablets have changed the device landscape by becoming an alternative to a PC rather than a complement. And it is in this light where the opportunity for tablet application development comes in. Rather than thinking of tablets as big smartphones, approaching the device as an alternate to a laptop opens several new opportunities for application development.
If you break Apple’s numbers down you can see the impact tablets are having on the market, of the 27 million units Apple shipped, 22.9 million were iPads and 4.1 million were Macs.
Key to developing a strategy to leverage the massive growth of the tablet market is understanding the differences between tablets and other devices. Don’t just plan on your tablet app being a big smart phone app. Take advantage of additional navigational features and the extra screen size. Generally tablet apps preform poorly when that are just enlarged versions of smartphone apps and not optimized for the format. Likewise tablets have much different operating systems than desktops and laptops and its important to take advantage of those differences with your app.
If you look at the fact that tablets are replacing PCs or laptops in many situations and look at the software needs in those situations there are great opportunities for tablet app development to be had. This is different than the approach we have seen from many in the past where they simply try to build bigger versions of iPhone or Android Apps. How can you streamline desktop software into a high-performing iPad app? or Android tablet app? There are many opportunities in this area that savvy businesspeople can take advantage of right now.