The Killer App For Wireless? Still Voice
The more things change, the more they stay the same. People have been saying for ages that the killer app for mobile phones was voice, and every time data services are slow to catch on, a new study comes out saying it again. The latest set of studies says that voice is still the primary money maker, and there isn’t much evidence that data is going to bring in much revenue going forward. The only place where 3G systems have really caught on for data use is in Korea. Meanwhile, people buying phones say they still just want a smaller phone that works well for voice calls – suggesting that the world might not be ready for “smartphones” just yet. I think it’s still early in the market, and people haven’t really figured out what data is good for on a mobile phone. Most services still just insist on offering what you can get elsewhere and moving it to a mobile phone – which is not particularly compelling.
