Mobile Tech News September 5th 2012

Mobile technology news for 5th September 2012:

Can Nokia Come Out On Top In Apple v Samsung?

It is possible that the troubled handset maker may get a boost from the recent verdict in the Apple Vs. Samsung legal tussles which have the potential to add value to Nokia's huge library of mobile patents.  With over 10,000 mobile-related patents registered over the decades in which it led the mobile industry, these could form the foundation for a resurgence (or buy-out) of Nokia.

Who Was Really Behind The Facebook I.P.O Disaster

The New York Times is reporting that Facebook's chief financial officer, David Ebersman was behind the critical decision making that has seen the company lose more than $50 billion in market value in just 90 days.  While the Facebook I.P.O has certainly received its fair share of coverage in the media, until now, the majority of blame has fallen at the feet of Mark Zuckerberg and the Nasdaq computer glitches on Facebook's first day of trading.

Why Coupons Are Driving The Mobile Payment Craze

Juniper Research estimates that the mobile market could be worth about $670 billion by 2015 and with 58% of consumers now shopping with coupons, this appears to be a match made in heaven.  The coupons and special offers are driving the success of many retail apps as they deliver a more convenient way to redeem rewards, thus increasing app usage and user retention.

Are Apps Becoming Essential For Retailers

The Business Insider War Room reports on a Harris Interactive survey suggesting at least 54% of mobile app users indicated that it could cost them a wasted trip to a retail store just because they don't have a mobile app developed that included prices, product availability and other useful information.  This is an interesting shift and clearly shows that consumers are looking for apps with local business information.

Don't Ignore The Web In The Rush To Mobile

While a mobile-first strategy may be an option for many start-up companies, the reality is that there are just some things you can't do as well with a mobile app and an integrated mobile and web strategy is often the best result.  By having clear priorities and reasoning behind your mobile strategy will allow you to make the best choice for your organisation.

Trending Technology Topics From 2012

Along with the launch of the new blog, we wanted to take a look at just a few of the trending tech topics we have seen so far in 2012.

Let's start with the biggest first:

Facebook goes public

Facebook went public on May 18th 2012 with the largest IPO ever for a tech company at $38 per share however share prices quickly plummeted and it doesn't appear that the free-fall is over yet.  One might argue that we are seeing the start of the next industry bubble bursting if Facebook continues this decline.

Facebook buys Instagram

In a move that only just pre-dated the IPO launch, Facebook flexed its muscle in the tech game by purchasing Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock.

There are rumours that this was a rogue move by Mark Zuckerberg without consultation with the company's board however it certainly got the Facebook brand in the press and probably contributed to the high IPO price.

Samsung kicks goals, gets kicked and wins anyway

The publicity over the Samsung v Apple patent lawsuits doesn't appear to have stunted Samsung's rapid growth into a legitimate challenger to Apple, nor did comments from Judge Colin Birss when he awarded Samsung victory in the lawsuit by stating that the Samsung Galaxy Tablets "do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool."

Kickstarter gets a kick-start

Kickstarter has become the goddess of crowd funding lately with a variety of opportunities available for both entrepreneurs looking to turn their dreams into reality and (to use the term loosely), 'investors' who want to be parted with their money.

Most recently, "App.net" attracted $500,000 in funding for its "Twitter without ads" social network project where entrepreneur Dalton Caldwell extracted $50 from people for an annual subscription to the ad-free model and access to early versions etc.

The age of crowdfunding is certainly here and Kickstarter are leading the way.

The decline of RIM

Back in March, RIM announced its Q4 earnings to reveal that revenue for the company was down 11% and that total Blackberry shipments had dropped 21%.  With the competitive mobile handset sales figures showing a continued decline from RIM it is unlikely that we will see a resurgence here any time soon.

The Google Nexus tablet appears

Google use the platform of the company's 2012 I/O conference introduce both its new Android mobile operating system and also its own tablet designed to take full advantage of its features.  While developers like Samsung are doing a great job of incorporating the Android operating system into their devices, Google wants to have a share of that market as well.

The Microsoft Surface appears

Microsoft jumped into the hardware market boots and all on June 18th by launching the Microsoft Surface tablet, effectively becoming a hardware manufacturer in the process.

This isn't an operating system blasted out to OEM's to do with what they will and perhaps in taking a leaf out of Google's book, they want to demonstrate themselves exactly how the software and hardware integrate properly.  While they have always worked closely with their OEM manufacturing partners, Microsoft always had their own way of doing things.

The iPhone 5 is coming

Faster, smarter, thinner, better seems to be the plan for Apple to wow the market with the iPhone5.  While the final configuration hasn't yet been confirmed (other than the switch to the smaller connector!) there are, as always, a flurry of inside stories and leaks that Apple appears to control better than anyone.  We are not going to debate that here but it can certainly be said that the end of the year could belong to Apple.

We certainly haven't covered every event from 2012 so far, that's a pretty exhaustive list however these were just a few that came to mind while writing this.

Leave your comments below and share any that we have missed.

App Consultants Joins Blogger

As advocates of all things digital, I would like to welcome you to the App Consultants Blogger Blog where we will be keeping a close eye on the pulse of the digital industry.

With the rapid evolutions occurring in the digital space, it becomes difficult to stay on top of all the latest news.  We understand because we do it each and every day and that is why we decided to start sharing the best of the daily mobile new with our clients and do all the hard work for them.

Our aim is to filter out the best in mobile news each week and share it with you, along with our commentary whenever it is relevant.

We are nearly three quarters of the way through 2012 already and there have already been a mountain of highlights to speak of from Facebook buying Instagram right before their IPO, Samsung won a lawsuit over Apple while being told their Samsung Galaxy Tablets are "not as cool" and much, much more.

The mobile revolution is certainly upon us and it is about more than just "apps" and we hope you will come along on the journey with us.