It’s Mobile Phones More Than Tablets That Will Save Traditional Media

Kevan Stone September 22, 2010

Technology has upped the ante just when media executives had conceded that the norm is real-time information with constantly updated web material. It used to be the home computer or laptop that reigned supreme, but they have already passed their prime; mobile phone applications are the real future, more so than even the tablets that many believe today is print’s savior.

Web news is already constantly updated by reputable (and sometimes not so reputable) sources, but the news hungry consumer wants more – hyper real time news available on a device that slips into one’s pocket or purse, easy to get at, easy to use immediately, and that means the mobile phone.

For media the most important words these days are “mobile app,” --  programs that can be downloaded onto a “smart phone” – and media execs had better make sure they understand what those phones can do. According to the Blackberry mobile application search page (link), there are more than 730 news applications for download, with over 250 free of charge. They range from major media corporations (FOX-NEWSCORP, CBS, Bloomberg, AP) to local hometown newspapers.  Apple says it has more than 200,000 apps but doesn’t say how many of them are media apps.

Can applications be a money maker? Yes, but with very specific caveats.  The vast majority of young users are diametrically opposed to forking up any money -- they have been spoiled by the Web. Some media websites know this, and offer video ads before a story pops up on the screen, but this is not feasible on the mobile web as some smart phones cannot stream video. 

A good example how to do it right is the vastly popular ESPN.com (owned by ABC-Disney) sports news website.  On its mobile website, there is one banner ad (which I don’t click, incidentally) at the top, and then links for all its stories.  If ESPN were to require a financially based subscription model, it would without doubt lose much of its readership, and as much as ESPN is considered a staple for sports fans, it is by no means the only game in town.  Would it hurt to walk away from ESPN?  Sure, but there is no shortage of sports websites that will provide breaking news in the sports world.

And as if news organizations don’t have enough competition, independent programmers have also created their own news applications. Obtaining these programs are as simple as reading this article -- go to a smart phone’s application download site (accessed from the phone itself) and the application list fills the screen, listing a bevy of news outlets that will fit any user’s political ideology, opinion, or taste. 

According to Nielsen research, 36% of all smart phone owners use a media/news application (link).  That’s no small number.

The fun doesn’t stop there.  Breaking news alerts are automatically delivered. Years ago, ftm wrote about the ease of real-time news available on the computer but mobile phones are far more user friendly -- you probably don’t take your notebook or a tablet with you to the supermarket but you do take your phone – wherever you are that device is always with you and you can get breaking news immediately.

So, if mobility is the name of the game then many may ask why won’t the tablet be more preferred than the smart phone, after all tablets have far larger screens that makes reading lengthy articles far easier? Tablets are smallish – but not so small as to fit conveniently in a pocket (although what with the size of purses these days that might work!). Tablets are geared to youth and professionals alike and there is no denying the growing sales forecasts, and seemingly unlimited revenue streams.  They are the latest step in the natural progression of technology and information, and they are already changing the way people access the world around them. 

Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder, said this year at the National School Board Association’s national convention, “The iPad could become a revolutionary tool in classrooms, because students and teachers will find it comfortable to use.” (link)

Think about it – if grade school students around the world have these tablet devices as a normal part of their learning repertories, they will, at an extremely young age, be fully indoctrinated.  As those students get older, tablets will become an assimilated part of their lives. Already Kindles and iPads are flying off the shelves at an impressive rate.  All must concede it is the natural evolution of the information age.  As the Silicon Valley’s Mercury News (link) reported, Apple and Amazon are aware of the popularity in accessing news on these devices, and are rolling out new plans to cater to their audience.

But for all of that, the tablet still comes second to the smart phone. Students, while using their tablets at school, will still have their smart phones, perhaps on silent, in their backpacks.  Why will smart phones continue to take center stage?  For a big starter: cost.  While the iPad may be the newest craze, it does not come cheap.  The basic model retails for $500 and tops out at nearly $900 and its current capabilities don’t justify that kind of investment, so until the price comes way down, while still delivering all the bells and whistles, the smart phone is preferred.  

While the IPad is easily portable and has some “cool” applications, it can’t do more than a laptop.  The iPad cannot replace the computer since it doesn’t have the graphics memory, RAM, hard drive space, or processing ability a laptop does.  And again on price, many laptops with far better specs are less expensive than the IPad. 

While a smart phone may not compare to a tablet’s technical specs, you aren’t buying the smart phone as a complimentary piece of technology.  In the US, most people under 35 use their cell phone as their primary and only telephone.  The land line simply is not part of their lives.  In a nutshell, the smart phone itself is a popular “upgrade” to their telephone, whereas an iPad is an extra luxury not necessarily needed.  Additionally, while the Kindle may be less expensive, it is marketed strictly (and certainly not to younger demographics) as a “reading” device, leaving many to wonder what else it really does?

Some argue that the tablet’s ability to show larger text is its big selling point. Not really. Almost any major online website has a “mobile web” site as well, a site which comes up on your smart phone automatically (servers know what type of device is accessing the site, and display the appropriate page). While it is true with a smart phone you need to scroll more often to read a long news story that is no big deal and most could do it with one hand tied behind their back……literally.

This writer, for instance, edited this story on his Blackberry. Living in Washington, D.C. one has time on one’s hands going up and down the Metro escalators so a perfect time to go into your jacket pocket, grab your smart phone, type in the web address and read… -- far easier than reaching into your bag, pulling out an iPad, turning it on, and using one hand to hold and the other to type!  You will have probably reached the train platform before you even get to the iPad step three.

There is no question the media is trying to adjust to the changing desires of an ever-increasing technologically advanced consumer base. Years ago, this meant having effective websites and real time information. That is now only the tip of the iceberg. Mobile applications and tablet devices are the new kids on the block, and they are here to stay. Whether media outlets embrace the challenge or succumb to it remains the glowing question, but with technology only increasing, is there really a choice?

Ed. note: 32-year-old Kevan Stone long ago gave up reading print newspapers and magazines and relies on the digital world for constant news fixes. He shares what he and others like him – American young people - expect these days from media news organizations.

In the first of a two-part series, he concentrates on the hardware – mobile phones and tablets – and the yeas and nays for the media in using those platforms. On Thursday he explains how the media should be involved in social networking, taking advantage of the Twitters and Facebooks of our digital world.

Kevan Stone lives in Washington DC and is the son of Philip Stone.

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