.mobi Death knell for mobile web?

[Rubber Duck]

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single10756

15.04.2008 - The mobile web is “limited at best and dying at worst” said former Yahoo! Mobile evangelist and programmer Russell Beattie as he shut down his mobile browser start-up Mowser barely a year after its launch.
“I don’t actually believe in the mobile web anymore,” said Beattie in a post on his official blog, explaining how he has come to believe that a web experience developed solely for the mobile handset is just not a concept that is taking off.

“Two years ago I was convinced the mobile web would continue to evolve in the west to mimic what was happening in countries like Japan and Korea, but it hasn’t happened, and now I’m sure it isn’t going to.”

Although there are around three billion mobile phones in use worldwide, Beattie claims the argument that this is tilting the online market in favour of the handset over the PC is simply not true because the current browser experience on a handset is not full enough, unless you are using a device like the iPhone or Nokia N95.

“Let’s face it, you really aren’t going to spend any real time or effort browsing the web on your mobile phone unless you’re using Opera Mini or have a smart phone with a decent browser – as any other option is a waste of time, effort and money,” he said.

Mowser was developed by Beattie as a service that takes regular websites developed for a standard PC or Mac browser and optimises or converts them for a mobile experience.

Theoretically, this gave Mowser an unlimited market but Beattie said analysis of the traffic passing though his site showed around 80pc was related to porn with an absence of a general market.

“Let me say that again clearly, the mobile traffic just isn’t there. It’s not there now, and it won’t be,” he said with an air of finality on his blog.

The solution, said Beattie, is the smart phone. Statistics may support this conclusion: a recent survey by US tech trends firm iSuppli showed that US consumers spend on average 12.1pc of their time using the iPhone for the mobile web, while users of other mobile handsets only use the net on their handsets 2.4pc of the time.

 

[dombastic]

Yes, the mobile web is dead. In 7 years, there will be no cell phones anymore anyway...

8^X

 

[Traveler]

This reminds me of the guy who wanted to shut down the patent office over a hundred years ago because he felt there was nothing left to be invented. Haha.

 

[newdomainer.mobi]

This reminds me of the guy who wanted to shut down the patent office over a hundred years ago because he felt there was nothing left to be invented. Haha.

That is probably the most succinct analogy I've heard on this subject; absolutely spot on!

 

[sags]

He does make one valid point, which is one that has long been contemplated by Google and others at previous roundtable discussions.

Do customers "want" or "need" full .com websites on their cellphones?

According to his statisitics, the answer is no. At least, not yet.

Simple, informational mobi sites will do quite nicely.

The statistics for Foxnews.mobi, ESPN.mobi and BofA.mobi show the audience is there for their mobi sites.

In Japan, a cellphone can be scanned at a retailer to show special prices. It can be scanned to pay for subway rides or theater tickets.

There will be a huge market for this kind of website.

Imagine that a person is in Las Vegas and wants to search out the best deals in town. Cheap buffet, two for one deals, casino perks, show tickets.

They can research before they go and carry the information with them, find a computer somewhere and search the internet, or they could use their cellphone and take the deals along with them, aided by GPS technology and mapping.

The mobi network is just developing. It will take a while to blossom.

But, day by day, company by company, service by service, it is building.

The "biggest" question I see right now is the lack of mobi developers, and the lack of tools to provide relevant content.

The "average" domainer needs help developing his domains. A "cookie cutter" approach doesn't really help.

Using the Las Vegas example above, I own FreeVegas.mobi. I can envision a website that offers all the current deals in Las Vegas to people who are actually there. The website would need constant updating from feeds.

The "problem" for me is that I don't have the expertise to develop such a website. GPS integration, RSS feeds, coupons, discounts, etc all require a fully developed website that is beyond the "put up a name or logo and use admob parking" template.

The "future" of mobi will belong to a company that comes along with a hybrid parking model. They take a domain and fully develop it to maximum potential and then share earnings with the owner.

This company is still in the future, unless I missed it somewhere.

 

[Steven]

This reminds me of the guy who wanted to shut down the patent office over a hundred years ago because he felt there was nothing left to be invented. Haha.

Exactly.
The technology is moving forward.

US consumers spend on average 12.1pc of their time using the iPhone for the mobile web, while users of other mobile handsets only use the net on their handsets 2.4pc of the time.

What I'm curious about is the 2.4% net usage from other mobile handsets other than iphone. Is that for smart phones like HTC Touch?
What is the % of users in US using internet (how often, what type of sites) from non-smart cell phones with very small screen?

 

[newdomainer.mobi]

Absolutely Sags... I have just bought a dongle for my laptop.. so I can take the full size web with me to my warehouse facility using a 3 network mobile web contract.. but I do believe (& I have a years money riding on it) that dotmobi will be great for small sites with a specific purpose that larger desktop sites can't do on a 3" screen.... like marketing & promotion, updates, new product alerts, social, photo, adult, etc etc..

 

[thebiffenator]

I think the whole question is that he is mad that America (and other countries) are not using there phone's for the mobile web...Well we all know that answer....#1 it was/is too expensive for the average cell phone user to have that service. (for me its $15 a month for unlimited moble web) But know things are changing, also it was the carriers fault..... The other thing is that still alot of phones don't have the capabilites, every where I go when I show my mobi sites and try to use theire phone, it can't bring it up because there phone is outdated and when the sites do come up, its like 5 different clicks just to type in the url

Things will change once the carriers stop being selfish with there fees for the mobile web and the carriers make it easier to acces it.

 

[labrocca]

This reminds me of the guy who wanted to shut down the patent office over a hundred years ago because he felt there was nothing left to be invented. Haha.

That's a strawman argument and 100% worthless.

Mobi fanatics continue to hold onto hope but one at a time they are jumping off the train.

The level of success that was expected of the "mobile web" will never occur. It will not even become close. Is there a market there...yes probably. But it's so small and obscure that only a small (very small) percentage of sites will do well.

The statistics for Foxnews.mobi, ESPN.mobi and BofA.mobi show the audience is there for their mobi sites.

Not one of those are a mobi pureplay though. They ALL could just have easily marketed m.domain.com or some other mobile domain variation. A novelty is not a long-term overall market success.

You mobineers hold on though...hold tight. It's just so damn amusing.

 

[Traveler]

That's a strawman argument and 100% worthless.

Mobi fanatics continue to hold onto hope but one at a time they are jumping off the train.

The level of success that was expected of the "mobile web" will never occur. It will not even become close. Is there a market there...yes probably. But it's so small and obscure that only a small (very small) percentage of sites will do well.



Not one of those are a mobi pureplay though. They ALL could just have easily marketed m.domain.com or some other mobile domain variation. A novelty is not a long-term overall market success.

You mobineers hold on though...hold tight. It's just so damn amusing.

Well aren't we full of piss and vinegar today? :D I think your statement about the mobile web is amusing:

"The level of success that was expected of the "mobile web" will never occur. It will not even become close. Is there a market there...yes probably. But it's so small and obscure that only a small (very small) percentage of sites will do well."

That shows about as much foresight as the guy from the patent office. :bingo: I guess that explains why you didn't get the anology. :music: :wave:

 

[Steven]

Well aren't we full of piss and vinegar today? :D I think your statement about the mobile we is amusing:

"The level of success that was expected of the "mobile web" will never occur. It will not even become close. Is there a market there...yes probably. But it's so small and obscure that only a small (very small) percentage of sites will do well."

That shows about as much foresight as the guy from the patent office. :bingo: I guess that explains why you didn't get the anology. :music: :wave:

I think I misunderstood your analogy.

This reminds me of some domainers/end users who wanted to invest in/develop .mobi names since two years ago because they felt there was going to be no new invention or technological improvement to cell phone and its browser

^ I thought this was what you meant.


I do agree that there are so much you can do with cell phone's small screen and the internet.
However, with more people starting to use internet and demand better phones to accommodate the usage, it's unpredictable how the cell phones and its mobile browsers (including the screen) will change and improve to better suit their needs.

 

[Traveler]

it's unpredictable how the cell phones and its mobile browsers (including the screen) will change and improve to better suit their needs.

I agree. The OP was not about .mobi but about the mobile web.

The guy in the article states:

“Let me say that again clearly, the mobile traffic just isn’t there. It’s not there now, and it won’t be,”

That seems a bit shortsighted to me.

 

[Steven]

To be fair, I do use the internet quite often with my HTC Touch.
Opera Mini is nice, but with wifi, I use the mobile internet explorer.

Even though the screen is relatively large, I do prefer ".mobi" type sites at the moment.

 

[Traveler]

To be fair, I do use the internet quite often with my HTC Touch.
Opera Mini is nice, but with wifi, I use the mobile internet explorer.

Even though the screen is relatively large, I do prefer ".mobi" type sites at the moment.

To be equally fair, I don't browse the internet on my mobile phone because it is too expensive :red:

 

[hawkeye]

....You mobineers hold on though...hold tight. It's just so damn amusing.

....awwhhhhh, :red: ..he's back!!

​

.

 

[binaryman]

Death knell for mobile web? ..... Russell Beattie......
I dont know if I should laugh or cry

 

[sags]

I was surprised to learn my son's cellphone plan has a 7 dollar unlimited internet fee. This is not typical of the Canadian Amigos (the oglimonopoly...or whatever a monopoly of 3 is called). They usually like to squeeze consumers until our eyeballs fall out.

I think there must be a catch somewhere. Maybe the 7 dollar fee is to get to your home page only. To actually look at something costs more.

The success or failure of mobi can be debated all day, but only time will tell.

I am reminded of the scene in the movie Casino, where all the big mafia guys are sitting around the table when the "heat" is on. They are tying up "loose ends" and the subject of their lawyer comes up. All around the table, everyone agrees what a nice guy the lawyer is, and how he would never rat on them. Then they ask the head honcho what he thinks and he says, "Yea, he is a nice guy and all that, but sometimes I just have to ask myself, why take the chance". Next scene, the lawyer gets bumped off.

That is how I feel about mobi. Maybe my small investment is worthless. Maybe it will be worth a little something. Possibly it will be worth a whole lot.

In any event, if mobi is successful, I wouldn't want to have missed the opportunity. For a few bucks, why take the chance?

Nothing ventured.........nothing gained.

 

[mjnels]

ive made $5,000 in last 2 weeks selling 4 different dotmobi names.... 3 of which i hand registered AFTER landrush opening... meaning they were not pre-registrations. its funny hearing people say things like "You mobineers hold on though..."

money talks, bullshit walks... and anyone who talks about .mobi and the mobile web in general like they are the exact same thing are so desperate for an argument, its just plain hilarious.

 

[Spade]

ive made $5,000 in last 2 weeks selling 4 different dotmobi names.... 3 of which i hand registered AFTER landrush opening... meaning they were not pre-registrations. its funny hearing people say things like "You mobineers hold on though..."

money talks, bullshit walks... and anyone who talks about .mobi and the mobile web in general like they are the exact same thing are so desperate for an argument, its just plain hilarious.

I Guess my question would be - did you sell them to another reseller or are they going to be developed?


Also - Mobi Fans out there. I have a question regarding sites like espn.mobi - If you access ESPN.com from your mobiles does it redirect to .mobi and thus count as a visitor? If so.... shouldnt that not be the case since they obviously didnt type .mobi in?

Justin

 

[VV]

He does make one valid point...

He makes LOTS of valid points, imho.

The mobile web has a tough road ahead. Lots of curves, lots of bumps.

The .mobi extension... faces an even tougher road. In fact there might not even be a road. It's more like a small dirt path in the thick jungles of Africa with a single guy trying to plow his way thru with nothing but a pocket-knife.