Everything about Web and Network Monitoring
Everything about Web and Network Monitoring
It’s nearly impossible to overestimate the transformational impact of mobility on our world today. Anywhere you go now, whether on the subway, at work, on the streets, mobile devices are everywhere in an increasing variety of shapes and sizes – smartphones, tablets, mini-tablets, ect. Throughout all sectors of society the mobile revolution is disrupting and transforming the way we live, work, and interact with each other.
Stop to consider that 2013 was the first time in the nearly 2 decades of the world wide web that more mobile devices are accessed via the internet than PCs. Correspondingly, PC sales have plummeted in recent years, and are expected to continue to decline 8.4% this year, while tablet sales, for instance, will rise 53.4%. This new reality suggests that we’ve entered an era unthinkable just a few years ago, in which mobile is now the “new PC.” The total number of smartphones in use globally surpassed 1billion in Q3 of 2012 and is expected to reach the next billion by 2015.
For the business owner, mobile channels have dollar signs written all over it. M-Commerce, or the practice of using mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets to make online purchases, now represents an enormous inflow of revenue as more and more consumers are accessing products and services anytime, anywhere from their smartphones and tablets. M-Commerce is projected to account for 16% of all holiday online purchases, driving over $40 billion in sales in the United States retail market.
In many ways the mobile revolution is just beginning. Let’s see what this means.
Mobile Apps: The Software of the Post PC Era
The Mobile and M-Commerce revolution is not unlike the website building frenzy that occurred during the early days of the internet. Many of you may well remember the Dot.com era of the late 90s when the surge in online businesses created an economic bubble of opportunity for large numbers of businesses. Some reminisce about those days as times of great opportunity. But an even greater phenomenon is happening right now in the mobile app market. Instead of the webpage of 20 years ago, the main engine of mobile growth today is mobile application development and the enormous volume of new apps released onto the market each day.
Several global trends have contributed to this market over the past decade – Social Media, Cloud, Big Data – fueled by wide-scale business adoption of these technologies. The consumerization of software has also spurred this trend. The old enterprise days when software installation was the domain of the techie is long gone. A mobile application can now be accessed by anyone, anywhere, and anytime with just a few clicks.
Mobile apps are the major driver behind the smartphone and tablet ecosystem and are a big reason people purchase and use those devices in the first place. Gartner Research recently said that mobile app stores will see annual downloads of mobile apps reach 102 billion in 2013 (up from 64 billion in 2012) with total revenue reaching $26 billion (up from $18 billion in 2012). This is a phenomenal trend that will only continue to skyrocket.
Mobile apps are creating enormous job growth opportunities. The first question every business owner or strategist should ask themselves is “How do I capitalize on this market?” And the next question that follows involves a very straightforward strategic self-assessment: “Am I doing everything I can to maximize my business for mobility, based on the current industry trends?”
We’d like to help you answer these basic questions further by kicking off a series of articles that will cover some of the latest approaches, strategies, and best practices for mobile application development. It’s important to know, for example, how HTML5 is stacking up in the market, or
where Native currently stands in relation to Hybrid approaches, or if you should adopt an Omni-channel marketing and sales strategy?
Here is a preliminary outline of the major topics we’ll be covering throughout this series:
Introduction: Framing up the discussion
Approaches: HTML5, Native, Hybrid or “all of the above”?
Strategies: Omni-channel, multi-platform and multi-device, rich user experience
Best practices: Strategic action items to make your mobile-empowered business prosper
Wrap Up: Bringing it all together
Please join us in Part 2 as we kick things into high gear by looking at the major approaches to mobile application development. We’ll start with HTML5 and how it has emerged as the platform of choice for creating a more open mobile web experience.
