SXSW Dispatch, Part 1: Setting the Mobile Stage

Y’know, while you were goofing around over the weekend, dressing head-to-toe in green, and doing things you can’t tell your mother about, Upshot’s three SXSWi attendees were hard at working keeping you informed about what to expect from the next 12 months in digital.

Okay, we’ll admit there were some benefits. Just let me get wipe this barbecue sauce off my chin, and we’ll get started.

We obviously have a TON of content to sift through, process, and share with you fine folks. But, before taking deeper dives in our subsequent posts, let’s set the stage with one of the least sexy, but most useful, panels: Nielsen’s David Gill and his boatload of mobile media stats (which we’ll share in greater depth by request). Let’s take a look at the heavy hitters from his presentation.

Looking for the “killer app” on smartphones? It’s the mobile web, silly. 90% of iPhone & Android users use it, while 2/3 of them use apps. And, as the mobile web speeds up (possibly this year), many of the tasks formerly completed via apps will be more efficiently handled through the mobile web. Gee, someone should formulate a trend about this. They could even call it After the App!

If you are creating apps, you do have that pesky little platform issue. Is the iPhone app store worth the hassle? Sure. Do we need to acknowledge Google’s ever-growing and far-reaching Android platform? Uh-huh. Do we need to get ourselves on the Blackberry? Well, that’s a bit more complicated. Nielsen data shows that about 70% of Blackberry users don’t download apps. And, here’s why: a significant number of Blackberry users get their phones through their companies, and the IT departments (smartly) have the phones on lockdown. Maybe you can make the case that you need the Druglord Wars app to do your job, but for most folks, it’s a longshot. So, if you’re planning to target business consumers, focusing on their mobile web experience is a much safer bet. Gee, someone should come up with a trend about that, too. They could even call it After the App!

Finally, Gill reminds us that when users are texting, this physically moves their phone from their ear to their eye, and puts the handset in front them. Seems like an obvious point, but have we thought through the implications of this for heavy texters? In other words, is an audible app still relevant to a user who’s interacting with their so-called phone in a primarily visual sense? Ok, we didn’t have a trend predicting that one, but it’s crucial to remember the importance of the visual and tactile user experience on the mobile platform. In fact, we’ll get a little “touchy” with our next SXSWi dispatch. Stay tuned.