According to Mobile Internet Report put out by the researchers at Morgan Stanley, there are five elements that identify the onset of a new computing cycle.

• Better Processing Power
• Improved User Interface
• Smaller Devices
• Lower Prices
• Additional Services

This is certainly true of the jump from Mainframes to Minicomputers, from Minicomputers to Personal Computers, and even from Personal Computers to Desktops with Internet Access.  The Researchers at Morgan Stanley even see it in the jump from Desktop Internet to Smartphones (which are already as powerful as the early iMacs).

But why does that matter?

Well because the each computing cycle has been about ten times as big as the last.  The number of Mainframes could be counted in the Millions, while the Minicomputer was in the Tens of Millions.

The number of desktop computers with internet access can be counted in the Billions, which means that if the trend continues, we will be counting Smartphone sales in the Tens of Billions.

That’s greater than the world’s population.

And research also shows that we’re adopting the mobile web faster than we did the desktop internet.

After being on the market for two years, Netscape had roughly 11 Million subscribers.  After a similar amount of time, the iPhone and iTouch have five times as many.

In other words, not only will the mobile internet be ten times as big as the desktop internet, but it’s likely to get there in half the time.

Early adopter of mobile technology have already staked out their claim and made their mobile applications, but you’re not behind the curve yet.  What information would allow you to serve your clients more effectively?  Perhaps its time that you hire someone to develop an iPhone app that makes it easy and attractive for your clients to share that information with you.

Not Sure What Mobile Can Do For You?

One of the key benefits of the mobile web is that it’s more immediate than desktop internet access.  What you can do for someone in the moment may be very different from what you can do for them while they’re sitting at home or in the office.  If you’re unsure what kinds of apps can be built for your industry, let us know what you do - we’d be glad to give you some ideas.