Jeff Kagan: Smartphone revolution changing other industries as well

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iphoneCustomers love innovation and that’s why industry after industry is starting to work with smartphones and the wireless industry. However some customers are starting to get overwhelmed with the rapid pace of change and are beginning to push-back, according to a Computerworld story.


Industry analyst Jeff Kagan offered comment:

“Smartphones like the iPhone and Android are new growth opportunities for other industries, but it’s difficult to balance innovation without overwhelming customers, says Wireless Analyst Jeff Kagan. The real question is how do companies strike the right balance to see rapid growth without burning out the customer?

I have sat in on so many corporate meetings it would make your head spin. All some companies want to do is innovate. That’s great as long as they innovate on a timeframe that can be digested by the customer. Too many companies are not in close enough touch with their customers to understand this key point, says Kagan.

It’s a balance. Companies who innovate too slowly lose customers. However companies who innovate too quickly can cause the customer to throw their hands up and say, STOP! Finding the sweet spot is key, says Kagan.

The smartphone revolution is transforming not only the wireless industry, but other industries as well. Smartphones are turning into the remote control for life. They are used for more every year. And smartphones are still relatively new to consumers’ lives.

Smartphones are not brand new. We have been using them since the first Blackberry and Palm device changed from a pager to text pager to smartphone back in the 1990s. However when the Apple iPhone and Google Android hit the market a few short years ago it started to transform the consumer marketplace.

That’s when all the rapid growth and excitement started to occur. Blackberry was mainly a business devices. Its growth rate was modest and there were only a few hundred apps.

The consumer smartphones like the Apple iPhone and Google Android have seen a more rapid growth in devices and apps. In just the last few years apps have grown from a few hundred to roughly a million.

New apps continue to be introduced and they get smarter and add more value to our lives. They are not just games any longer. They help us manage out health, our cars, our wallets and so much more, says Kagan.

Wireless and smartphones have been on a wild growth ride over the last few years. That growth wave continues to expand and change. Now it is impacting other industries and that is very good. The smartphone is the center of that new universe. And that continues to grow.

However not everyone changes that quickly. People change at their own pace. Some change more quickly than others. Early adopters are followed by other slices of the consumer pie. It’s important for each company to innovate at the right pace for their customers, he concluded.