What the history of handset platforms can teach the future of mobile

Table of Contents

  1. Summary
  2. Introduction
  3. A brief history of mobile platforms
  4. The lessons
  5. What does the future hold?
  6. About Derek Kerton

1. Summary

In a short decade the mobile OS market has grown from a moribund, firmware-based world of limited-capacity phones into the most hotly contested battlefield in technology. Top Silicon Valley CEOs seem to agree that the future is mobile and are staking their companies on that bet. The battles are raging not only in the marketplace but in the courtroom, where patent lawsuits and court-ordered sales injunctions are flaring up worldwide.

Where is the mobile handset market headed in the near-term future, and what advice should its players heed? A look back at history suggests several clues, and many lessons around user experience, development teams, ecosystems, device strategy and more.

Companies mentioned in this report include Apple, DoCoMo, Google, HTC, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, Palm and Research in Motion.

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