"Mobile First" Will Lead to Contextual Apps

By 2016, smart phones and tablets will be used by a billion global consumers. The clear implication, Forrester Research says, is that "mobile is the manifestation of a much broader shift to new systems of engagement."

According to the report,there will be 257 million smart phones and 126 million tablets in the U.S. market alone.

Of those worldwide billion mobile devices, Apple, Google and Microsoft will control some 90 percent of the market with their respective platforms. Business users will factor heavily into these numbers, with some 350M employees using smart phones.

These systems of engagement help firms empower their customers, partners, and employees with context-aware apps and smart products.

That is one good reason so many firms are going mobile first in terms of their development of new products and applications.

"Mobile first" will fuel profitable growth with stickier offerings and mobile self-service, Forrester argues.