In 2007 we experienced some real progress toward the Mobile Broadband breakthrough, or the tipping point. I believe we need to see progress in five areas for the breakthrough to really happen:
- Applications
- Devices
- Network Speeds
- Affordable TCO (total cost of ownership)
- Battery Life
Of these categories, I believe we saw the biggest improvement in Devices, and the greatest near-term hope in Applications.
The category-by-category progress for 2007 looked as follows:
| Category | Progress | Dashed Hopes | Overall |
| Applications | Announcement of Android platform. Apple announcement of SDK for iPhones. Google mobile apps introduced for iPhone and other platforms. Announcements by SAP, salesforce.com and others to write apps for iPhone. |
Continued focus on putting desktop web in hands of mobile users, despite small screens and slow data speeds. iPhone incompatible with enterprise apps: outlook exchange, corporate security, etc. iPhone closed system to date, does not support java or flash. |
Hope that we will see breakthrough mobile apps and more openness in 2008. |
| Devices | Iphone introduction. gPhone announcement. |
Carriers mostly locked in with lackluster devices. | iPhone introduction is lead item for the year. |
| Network Speeds | Greater use of WiFi in devices Broader availability of 3G networks. More WiFi hotspots. Solidification of WiMAX standards. |
Complaints about slow EDGE speeds on iPhone. | Hope that with 3G devices and WiFi hot spots, the mobile web will be usable. |
| Affordable TCO | Apple dropped iPhone prices post-launch. | Data and voice plans are still too pricey for the average user. "Gotcha" billing for iPhone roamers. |
Step in the right direction, but still a ways to go. |
| Battery | Few complaints about iPhone or other device batteries, despite early fears. | Battery life potentially a risk with 3G networks. | Need to see continued progress in battery technology and management tools. |
Overall 2007 was an impressive year of Mobile Broadband progress, and 2008 is shaping up to top that. 2009 may even be the year that your Mom uses a mobile application on a regular basis! What other areas, trends, hopes or progress do you see?
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