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Rethinking needed - part 1 of 2: smartphones fail to deliver on promise March 31, 2004 [General] | By anonymous 1. Yes, smartphones (in generally, not just Microsoft's) are succeeding in mass market - for gaming, photo making and regular daily usage, and market share of smartphones compared to regular cell phones (without any operating system and without possibility to load native applications) is growing (although still constituting just a small percent of total cell phone market). However smartphones fail to deliver - miserably - as far as business smartphone users are concerned. This is particularly big problem for Microsoft because Microsoft targets business (enterprise, profesional) users first! Therefore rethinking is needed to address problems of enterprise users or oblivion awaits smartphones [in enterprise applications].... Below we present results of market research from FOCUS GROUP (credit: WEBITPR), that show where rethinking is needed - as far as smartphones in general (not just Microsoft's) are concerned - in business usage scenarios. In part 2 of 2 of our "rethinking needed" series, entitled "shakeup of Microsoft camp in progress - whether you want it or not", we will address problems and issues that need to be addressed (and in fact are already being addressed - to certain extent - but some people yet are not aware of it - so we need to reveal it) so that long-term success of Microsoft powered cell phones is ensured. Sorry folks, nothing personal, but msmobiles.com is conceived with one purpose in mind: long term and massive success of Microsoft powered cell phones. If it means forgetting "good old days", changing ways of operation and dumping ineffective companies and ineffective people, so be it! It is really nothing personal. Please watch this space for part 2 of 2 of the story - the smartphone wars are just getting started, and You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet! * * * * * FOCUS GROUP SHOWS USERS BAFFLED BY SMARTPHONES ~ Device flaws and poor customer service highlight testing and support needs ~ Intuwave, the mobile software specialist, has conducted focus groups of business Smartphone users that highlighted concern with Smartphone quality and customer service. These findings follow quantitative research published by Intuwave in February, 2004 that showed that only 40% of IT managers had confidence in Smartphones as a business tool. Results point to core ‘hygiene’ factors not being addressed by device manufacturers and mobile network operators which are hitting the industry’s bottom line through increased product returns, lower service adoption and increased support costs. Andrew Wyatt, vice president of strategic marketing at Intuwave, said, “These are not just ‘nice to haves’: inadequately tested devices lead to product returns or - worst case scenario - product recalls that are costly and embarrassing while poorly set up phones are a key reason why operator support costs are set to escalate. Smartphones are growing in complexity and taking on many of the functions traditionally associated with the PC, so the industry needs a way of applying mature, automated testing procedures and the remote ‘diagnose and fix’ tools associated with the PC world to mobile devices. If this isn’t achieved, then the entire industry will simply haemorrhage money as Smartphones are adopted in greater numbers." Key problems encountered by members of the focus group included core data services - such as MMS - not working properly, the complexity of setting up services and poor quality of support. One HR manager commented, “Feedback has been mixed; as a tool Smartphones are very useful but the set up has caused more than a few headaches." This is not the response that the industry needs if its plans to increase business usage of the advanced data service functionality offered by Smartphones are to be realised. Wyatt continued, “Business users are a mobile operators’ most profitable and least price-sensitive market segment and a logical consumer of the advanced data services that are now available. However, if services don’t work out of the box as they should then people simply won’t use them. Addressing testing and customer and service issues will therefore not only cut costs but increase revenues.”  Post your comment (free registration is required to post, but if you register you can edit your posts later)
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