Ain't no stopping us now

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in RCR Wireless News’ January Special Edition: “Unwrapping the Opportunities, the next generation of smart devices. To see all of the articles from that issue, click here.
Is there really anything more awesome than a brand new mobile device? Sure, it might have all the same features and functions of a non-mobile consumer electronics device, but just knowing that what you have in your hand can connect to the Internet, and thus the world, from just about anywhere is powerful stuff.
But, you have to have some sympathy for those producing such devices in this day and age. From what I have been told, designing a new mobile device can take up to 18 months from inception to hitting the market. Manufacturers can make some changes to the basics of the device along the way, but anything out of the ordinary will likely result in a delay.
One source of frustration is from the continued evolution of network technologies as carriers race to update their networks in order to provide “superior” performance for consumers. This is happening both with carriers rolling out entirely new networks such as LTE as well as updating current 3G-based networks with HSPA+.
Who can forget the rancor over Apple Inc.’s first iPhone device that launched without support for AT&T Mobility’s 3G network? Sure, the network was not as pervasive as its EDGE network and the lack of 3G support did not seem to really slow sales, but to launch such a ground breaking device without the latest in mobile technology did not go unnoticed.
The same is happening now with HSPA+ networks. T-Mobile USA Inc. is frantically rolling out high-speed network upgrades to its 3G network, which it’s controversially calling “4G,” but to this point only has a couple of devices that can take full advantage of those capabilities. It’s tough to blame the device makers in this instance as T-Mobile USA has only just recently began to push its 3G network and thus its device needs were in support of those 3G services.
But, consumers are being bombarded with advertising from T-Mobile USA touting the speed of its “4G” network not realizing that only a couple of devices are really capable of exploiting that potential.
The same is true for Verizon Wireless’ recently launched LTE network. With commercials showing the “lightning” speed of the service, consumers should be champing at the bit to get their hands on devices that can take advantage of these capabilities. But, until the carrier – and device makers – can get appealing devices to market, there is no way for consumers to really access that potential.
I know both of these issues will be fixed with time, but the highlight the dynamic bond created by consumer electronic devices and mobile.
And that’s where the consumer comes back into play. Having access to both the hottest technology and most advanced networks is a no brainer in the terms of selling the latest mobile devices to consumers. Sure, there will always be challenges in execution, but with such embedded advantages, success in the mobile device space appears limitless.