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What Is Mobile Fragmentation?

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By Sam Hallahan


With mobile being one of the largest and most diverse global markets, diversities in devices and platforms are inevitable. So too then is the resulting 'fragmentation' of mobile. However, is this fragmentation any real detriment to the growth and success of mobile? Or does it simply reflect the nature of the globally diverse market? Is mobile fragmentation helping or hurting the growth of mobile?

As discussed in a previous article, we have seen how mobile fragmentation has been labelled as the major issue facing the growth and future success of mobile. The huge spectrum of diversities in mobile platforms and devices makes creating a single application for all mobile impossible. Some have begun a search for a potential unifying technology, dubbed the "magic bullet" by its sceptics. It is many of these sceptics who also stand by the idea that mobile fragmentation is a natural part of healthy competition and that it is part of mobiles growth and success.

One of the key arguments to support the natural diversity of mobile is the variation in device use in different countries. For instance India, which as stated by Richard Wong (venture capitalist with Accel Partners, an investor in AdMob, GetJar, and SunRun, and a former mobile industry executive), is "...one of the world's fastest growing mobile markets is still dominated by Nokia," this domination as he points out, accounts for over 70% of the countries market share. Mobile fragmentation by this account then is a natural and inherent part of mobile being a global market. The diversities faced by designers and developers would seem to reflect a market which consciously aims to provide for the varying preferences of its customers.

In many ways mobile is already an indescribable success and Richard Wong suggests that rather than try and "solve" the fragmentation "problem," instead companies are better off spending their time and money at the strategy drawing board. He states that rather than search for unifying technology, companies can consider whether they need a wide spreading market approach, or can they be efficient and successful by targeting a few thousand "profitable users." Co-Founder of Symbian, Juha Christensen also supports mobile fragmentation and suggests that in the same way mobile is producing applications for all sorts of consumer needs, it is only a matter of time before mobile produces mobile devices for specific consumer types and demographics.

Mobile fragmentation then definitely appears to be a natural part of mobiles global market. In aiming to cater to the wide range of consumer preferences, mobile will always face diversities, and the range of platforms and devices in circulation reflects both the desire by consumers for this, and distributors' acknowledgement of this. In which case, mobile fragmentation would not appear to be helping, nor hurting mobile but an inherent part of a globally diverse market.




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