"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

IPhone 4S Sales May Reach 4 Million First Weekend

Steve Jobs

Apple could sell as many as four million units of its new iPhone 4S the first weekend it is available. Available Oct. 14, 2011 in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, sales are expected to beat the 1.7 million iPhone 4 units sold on that device's first weekend.

Some observers think sales will be boosted by consumer interest in the last device of the Steve Jobs era at Apple.

“It’s going to easily outpace any previous launch,” said Charlie Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Co. iPhone 4S Sales May Reach 4 Million

Rampant Multitasking, Nielsen Finds

what are smartphone and tablet owners doing while watching TV? Checking email, says Nielsen. Email was the top activity for both men and women during television programming and commercial breaks, in a recent study. In addition, women reported engaging in social networking more than men, while men checked sports scores more often.

1.9 Net New Customers for Clearwire in 3Q

Clearwire Corporation pre-announced third quarter 2011 revenue of approximately $332 million are expected for the third quarter 2011, representing an increase of approximately 126 percent year over year.

Net wholesale subscriber additions are expected to total a record 1.9 million for third quarter 2011, representing approximately 29 percent sequential growth of wholesale subscribers. Third quarter 2011 ending subscribers are expected to be approximately 9.5 million.

All of that could change in the future, though, as Sprint has indicated it will no longer sell Clearwire-capable devices after the end of 2012.

Clearwire 3Q

Sprint Focusing M2M Development on Four Verticals

Sprint is broadening its machine-to machine (M2M) development initiatives to focus on four primary areas: connected transportation; connected meters, sensors and alarms; connected machines, screens and things; and connected personal devices.

Sprint has defined several sub-segments within each of the four M2M growth segments:

Connected Transportation – Fleet / Telematics / Inter-Vehicle Communication (IVC) / IVC Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMS); Usage-Based Insurance (UBI) / Pay As You Drive (PAYD); and Public Safety / Emergency.

Connected Meters, Sensors and Alarms – Utility / Smart Grid; Water / Oil / Gas; Security and Surveillance; and Automation and Control.

Connected Machines, Screens and Things – Automated Teller Machine (ATM) / Point of Sale (POS) / Access / Vending; Digital Signage and Kiosk; Asset Tracking; and Embedded Routers and Modems.

Connected Personal Devices – Personal Gaming and Tracking; Personal Health Management; and Copiers / Printers / Scanners.

Sprint M2M focus

$400 Million to Fix LightSquared GPS Interference?

LightSquared says it will cost the commercial GPS industry as much as $400 million for gear that will eliminate the interference potentially caused by its planned next-generation network.

LightSquared Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben says there are roughly 500,000 commercial precision GPS devices in the U.S. that could be disrupted by its network. But the company has developed a device, which costs between $300 and $800 and will protect GPS devices from such disruptions.

LightSquared says GPS interference fix will cost $400 million

What Irritates People on Facebook

Yes, you can target content on Facebook. But marketers also need to show common sense and good judgment about doing so.

You need to respect people when advertising on social networks, and often, that does not seem to happen.