- It is getting harder to introduce game-changing devices. All the buzz surrounding iPhone 5 did not come out of thin air. Certainly Apple is planning this major revision for the near future and other revisions further out in time, as is the case with all hardware developers. The amount of speculation surrounding iPhone 5 likely indicates that the product is relatively close to completion, and with the growing competition in smartphones, Apple would have benefitted from a must-have device. Ultimately, though, that device did not appear. This may have been part of Apple’s plan all along, but the reality is that bringing complex components together at an affordable price point is becoming more difficult. Also, as with the iPad 2, consumers are beginning to question the need to upgrade every time a new release comes out.
- Software is becoming the differentiating factor. The majority of Apple’s event focused on the new operating system, iOS 5, and the new iCloud service. Brian Sherman’s post last week on the CompTIA blog addressed the rapidly growing field of mobile app development, a trend also seen in the latest cloud study from CompTIA research. As the Internet increasingly becomes a mobile experience, companies will need to optimize their online presence for mobile and consumers will be looking for smooth, pleasing mobile experiences.
- Integrated solutions may be making a return. Many technology trends are cyclical—for example, cloud computing is bringing to mind client/server architecture which was prevalent in the 1980’s. As mobility is in its early stages, individuals and enterprises may find that an integrated, single-provider solutions are more efficient than attempts to mix multiple products. As mobility matures, standards and Internet specifications will allow a more fragmented approach, and this cycle may happen quickly as companies are searching for ways to deal with the wide range of devices that their employees are bringing in to the workplace. Apple clearly believes that using the full suite of their products is beneficial; in the first minutes of the event, new CEO Tim Cook asserted that Apple provides a “powerful yet simple integrated experience.”
Apple may not have rocked the technology world again with another magical device, but the event was still significant. The incredible amount of focus shows not only the confidence in Apple as a technology leader, but a belief that mobility is one of the major forces shaping the IT industry.
CompTIA market intelligence is preparing a study on mobility within the enterprise to assist solution providers who are building mobility offerings. We would welcome your thoughts or experiences with mobility, either in the comments or by emailing research@comptia.org.
