Mobile 2008 = PC 1982

Posted on January 3, 2008 by rahulgaitonde

Why the mobile phone industry today looks a lot like the PC industry 25 years ago:

  • Several players selling standalone “boxes” (or bricks). Atari, Commodore, Tandy, Apple back then. Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Apple now
  • Incompatible software platforms
  • Incompatible hardware and peripherals
  • Nascent application development industry
  • Device seen as replacing several existing devices

Big differences:

  • Sheer number of mobile phones, sheer variety in features and, consequently, price points
  • Growth markets are in the East
  • Carriers could make or break innovation

Game-changers – then and now:

  • The IBM PC and its open platform. No current-day equivalent
  • Standard operating system and, consequently, standard development environment. Current-day equivalent: Google’s Android, possibly
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  • Raman

    I would also include the fact the customers of today are way different from the ones 25 years before – I think back then, people knew their technology, sought & bought PC (or boxes) only if they really needed one and sweat the asset like there was no tomorrow. Today, most customers buy hi-fi mobiles for status, have no idea about what the instrument can do, change it every 3-6 months and sparingly use it.It is blatant consumerism and cuetomers, without their knowledge are being exploited.