WCA March 2010

Another analyst, Jeffrey Lindsay, ❖ ❖ with investment management firm Sanford C Bernstein, in New York, said that Google needs to attract more consumers to Android phones to spur developers to create applications. There are more than 100,000 applications available for the iPhone, and Android has more than 12,000. “The guy who gets biggest fastest gets the most developers,” Mr Lindsay said. “It’s a fight for scale.” Google has strong motivation: the market in mobile is projected to grow to between $2 billion and $3 billion by 2013 in the US. The impact of the new Google phone could of course be limited if the handset is priced too high. But, industry blogger Miguel Helft wrote, “[Analysts] say that, if Google chooses to subsidize the phone through mobile advertising revenue, or if it concocts innovative pricing plans in partnership with carriers, the Nexus One could prove to be a worthy challenger to the iPhone or perhaps disrupt the industry in new ways.” (“Bits,” 29 th December) In the matter of disruption of ❖ ❖ the industry, Google, Apple, and Research In Motion all have considerable potential. The industry blog “Sneak Peek 2010” predicts that – thanks to the boom in smart-phones, mobile application stores, and mobile video – managing data traffic will be the most pressing issue for carriers this year. Freeing up bandwidth without impairing service will be a challenge in the US, especially since the Federal Communications Commission has asked operators to treat all mobile content on their networks equally. Elizabeth Woyke wrote, “Expect carriers to attack the problem from multiple angles, then publicize their particular solution as the smartest.” (Forbes. com, 29 th December)

Dorothy Fabian – Features Editor