Connected devices, including traditional devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, and set-top boxes as well as new types of connected devices, form the focal point for the delivery and consumption of telecoms and Internet services, content, and applications. The core value in these devices lies less and less in the physical device itself and more and more in the software platforms that run on these devices. A number of major industry players – including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nokia, RIM, and Samsung – are competing for dominance in the home and personal device markets.
The Devices and Platforms practice addresses the key competitive dynamics in this space by analyzing the major players and their strategies, the threats and opportunities presented to existing players, as well as future impacts. We provide player analysis, forecasts, and tracking of specific device types and platforms to help operators, device manufacturers, platform vendors, enterprises, and application developers make sense of this rapidly changing market.
Signature Research
Developer insight survey
Understanding the level of developer support among device platforms is critical to evaluate the future success of a given platform – only the best-supported platforms will ultimately attract the best developers, including major content providers, media companies, and brands. Not all will flourish.
To obtain a comprehensive, unbiased view, we survey developers across a range of vertical sectors with the objective of building a deep understanding of their mobile strategy.
Key Themes
Strategies in the smartphone age
Smartphone sales continue to outperform sales of traditional mobile phones, and in mature markets will increasingly represent the majority of phones shipped.
Ovum will focus on strategies for device vendors, developers, enterprises, telcos, and other service providers to make money from smartphones. This will include optimizing propositions for current high-end offerings as well as how to bring the economics of smartphones (with their ecosystem of applications and monetization through app stores) to the mass market.
Ovum will continue to comprehensively cover the smartphone market by forecasting smartphone shipments, tracking new device capabilities, profiling the main players, and tracking changes in developer strategies.
Tablets and other mobile Internet devices: understanding the challenge
Smartphones are fast becoming a mainstream part of consumers’ lives. However, their influence is not confined to phones, and the software platforms powering smartphones are increasingly crossing over to other types of connected devices. The first of such devices to emerge is the tablet. The tablet market is still very much in its infancy, but there are opportunities for device vendors, developers, enterprises, telcos, and other service providers as the market develops and matures.
Ovum will cover the tablet market by forecasting tablet and other mobile Internet device shipments, tracking new device capabilities, profiling the main players, and tracking changes in developer strategies.
Opportunities in new connected devices and platforms
The device market is rarely static, and during the past few years we have seen new device types as well as new device platforms enter the market from both existing and new players. In 2008 we saw the rise of the netbook, in 2009 the rise of Android, and in 2010 the introduction of the tablet as well as the introduction of Bada and Windows Phone 7. Each new device type or device platform brings with it its own set of opportunities and challenges for device vendors, developers, enterprises, telcos, and other service providers.
Ovum will cover new device types and platforms as they are launched and provide analysis of the impact and relevance of these new entrants into the market, including forecasts, profiles, and market reports on the technologies and players. We will particularly focus on new types of mobile Internet devices as well as efforts to “platformize” connected televisions, set-top boxes, and in-car systems.
Impact of major adjacent players through leveraging devices and platforms
Telecoms operators face significant competition from other telcos and cable companies, but they are increasingly having to battle against disruptive competitors coming from adjacent industries, most notably online service providers and consumer electronics vendors.
These players represent a significant threat to telcos, as they often bring disruptive business models, strong consumer branding, and existing relationships into direct competition with telcos.
We will provide regular profiles of the major adjacent players, including Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and Nokia. We will evaluate these players’ strategies and ambitions, and identify the threats they represent for telcos, but we will also examine the opportunities for partnerships with these players.
