I-Search #112: Mobile Surge

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             "Understanding Internet Search Technology"
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Disa Johnson                                       SearchReturn
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January 11, 2007                          SearchReturn Issue #112
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                   .....IN THIS DIGEST.....

// -- ESSENTIAL NEWS -- //
            "Mobile Surge"
                        ~ SearchReturn

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// -- ESSENTIAL NEWS -- //

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==> Mobile Surge

Essentials: Mobile search is staged to grow at an increasing pace
as more users begin using mobile devices for additional tasks
other than simply making a phone call.  The barometer for just
how quickly mobile search will do in upcoming months is the
consumer electronics industry.

At the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and MacWorld earlier this
week both Apple and Motorola unveiled convergent devices that
incorporate the Web with mobile phones in a comprehensive way.
Such devices aren't new but higher quality with wider appeal can
make a breakthrough product such as what Apple did with the iPod.
Mp3 players certainly weren't new when Apple released the iPod.

Phones now have tremendous capability, many bundling WiFi
connectivity and applications for the Web such as email clients
and Web browsers.  Apple's device will use the Safari browser.

All of today's major search providers offer mobile versions, and
both Yahoo! and Google are pushing into mobile search with
considerable effort.  Some say Yahoo!'s strong mobile search play
is one way the company can continue to try unseating Google as
Yahoo! Mail has as an application that bests GMail.

What's true is that, with the unveiling of the new iPhone, Apple
hopes to capture as much as 1% of the mobile phone market in
2008.  Steve Jobs showed off the integration of Google Maps at
the show, and how the phone can be used to order lattes with a
query result populated with nearby Starbucks locations.

The new Apple phone generated a lot of buzz and reaction from
other manufacturers, including a lawsuit from Cisco that
manufactures an WiFi "iPhone."  The result of the suit, as a
worst case scenario, would be a simple name change by Apple.

What is interesting is that Steve Jobs evangelized mobile search
at one of the most public showcases where he makes appearances -
perhaps the most public appearance of all for him.  If the
iPhone can drive the market half as well as the iPod has driven
the mp3 player market, it indicates a windfall for mobile search
towards the tail end of this year and into the next - with no
end of growth in sight.

 
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