I came across a very interesting whitepaper called "Why the Mobile Web is Disappointing End-users", which cites a survey of 1001 mobile web users conducted by Equation Research.
The whitepaper highlights the gap between people's high expectations and actual experiences using mobile web browsers. Slow connection times are identified as the biggest problem facing mobile websites today.
I frequently surf the web on my iPhone, and find that sites which are optimized for mobile browsing are quite responsive and usable. But most sites are not yet optimized for phones, making mobile browsing an unpleasant (or downright miserable) experience in many cases. There is still so much fragmentation in browser capabilities across mobile platforms that there is no single format that will reach a broad range of phones -- though Opera is doing its best to overcome that challenge. Of sites which are optimized, many are fine-tuned specifically for iPhone users, since Apple has set the new standard for mobile browsing (and because Apple dominates mobile web traffic, as illustrated in the latest web traffic statistics published by AdMob).
I recently attended an Ericsson event hosted by Wavefront, which is a world-class organization here in Vancouver that focuses on accelerating commercialization of new wireless products and services. An Ericsson representative provided stats indicating that the two factors which most impact mobile web browsing -- increased wireless bandwidth and reduced "latency" (essentially how long it takes to establish a connection) -- are converging to provide speeds in mobile web browsing that will meet or exceed what we currently experience on a desktop. The question is whether increases in browsing speed can outstrip the massive increase in web traffic that is expected from smartphone and netbook use, as I discussed in my blog post titled "Are we in for a mobile traffic jam?"
In addition to browsing speed, there are many differences in user experience across mobile browsers. Various input methods -- ranging from non-touchscreen devices with thumbpads to stylus-based touchscreens to capacitive "finger-touch" screens, not to mention whether a device has a physical or on-screen keyboard -- make it very difficult to create a consistent user interface that spans many different hardware platforms. And fierce competition to establish web-based standards -- such as Adobe Flash vs. Microsoft Silverlight -- makes it difficult for developers to choose which of the latest and greatest controls to use within their web solutions.
This all points to how young the mobile web really is. I am a big believer that the mobile web will eventually be as ubiquitous as the desktop web is today, but for now the challenge of fragmentation is every bit as real for mobile websites as it is for downloadable mobile applications. For anyone looking to the mobile web as a "magic bullet" for engaging the masses, we're not quite there yet...
The whitepaper highlights the gap between people's high expectations and actual experiences using mobile web browsers. Slow connection times are identified as the biggest problem facing mobile websites today.
I frequently surf the web on my iPhone, and find that sites which are optimized for mobile browsing are quite responsive and usable. But most sites are not yet optimized for phones, making mobile browsing an unpleasant (or downright miserable) experience in many cases. There is still so much fragmentation in browser capabilities across mobile platforms that there is no single format that will reach a broad range of phones -- though Opera is doing its best to overcome that challenge. Of sites which are optimized, many are fine-tuned specifically for iPhone users, since Apple has set the new standard for mobile browsing (and because Apple dominates mobile web traffic, as illustrated in the latest web traffic statistics published by AdMob).
I recently attended an Ericsson event hosted by Wavefront, which is a world-class organization here in Vancouver that focuses on accelerating commercialization of new wireless products and services. An Ericsson representative provided stats indicating that the two factors which most impact mobile web browsing -- increased wireless bandwidth and reduced "latency" (essentially how long it takes to establish a connection) -- are converging to provide speeds in mobile web browsing that will meet or exceed what we currently experience on a desktop. The question is whether increases in browsing speed can outstrip the massive increase in web traffic that is expected from smartphone and netbook use, as I discussed in my blog post titled "Are we in for a mobile traffic jam?"
In addition to browsing speed, there are many differences in user experience across mobile browsers. Various input methods -- ranging from non-touchscreen devices with thumbpads to stylus-based touchscreens to capacitive "finger-touch" screens, not to mention whether a device has a physical or on-screen keyboard -- make it very difficult to create a consistent user interface that spans many different hardware platforms. And fierce competition to establish web-based standards -- such as Adobe Flash vs. Microsoft Silverlight -- makes it difficult for developers to choose which of the latest and greatest controls to use within their web solutions.
This all points to how young the mobile web really is. I am a big believer that the mobile web will eventually be as ubiquitous as the desktop web is today, but for now the challenge of fragmentation is every bit as real for mobile websites as it is for downloadable mobile applications. For anyone looking to the mobile web as a "magic bullet" for engaging the masses, we're not quite there yet...
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