"Enterprise" Mobility a Reflection of Consumer Behavior

IDC Smart Phone, Tablet Forecast

As has been the case for the last several years, there was a reported "lack of enthusiasm" at the CTIA Enterprise and Applications show.

That meeting has been struggling, some might say, to find a clear mission and role, and some might say it still has not found that role.

Among the reasons, one might say, is that mobile computing and applications are not driven by enterprise users and concerns, but by consumer applications and desires, in the same way that most enterprise innovation now is driven.

Enterprise technology managers controlled the pace and adoption of technology for decades but starting with the launch of the iPhone in 2007, non-technology executives and employees have been demanding the right to use the devices they find so palatable in their regular lives for work purposes. As a result, “enterprise mobile technology” is kind of a misnomer; the dollars, talent, and hype in mobile are going toward companies that are building things for consumers.

Enterprise Still Takes A Back Seat To Consumers

Device Usage Has Shifted from "Work" to "Play"

When digital devices first appeared, in the form of the personal computer, the initial applications were heavily work related.

Over the last few decades, as new digital appliances have emerged, most of them have been mostly for "play" or "personal" use.

Though notebooks, tablets and mobile phones can be used either for work or personal pursuits, the trend is towards use of devices for entertainment, personal communication, learning and expression, and less and less for "work."

A recent survey of European users by Forrester Research illustrates the trend. Asked what sorts of applications and activities they used their various devices for, it is pretty clear that the multi-purpose devices get used more often for play, personal reasons and entertainment, rather than "work."

The corollary probably is that application development has shifted overwhelmingly to personal, entertainment  and leisure time activities as well.