Will There Be A Mobile Web?

I was speaking with my wife last week, discussing the type of mobile device we are going to buy in the new year.  It led us to talk about mobile sites, and the need for clients to optimize their sites for PDAs and new phones.  She pointed out that if we got an iPhone, or the new Google phone, there wouldn't be a need to find mobile sites, as the Safari browser (or Google browser) renders the entire site on the phone.

Made sense.  I figured mobile sites were a thing of the past.  And then I saw Ewan's post on the mobile web, and realize we were mistaken.  Yes, it seems like squeezing a website onto a phone browser is an easy solution.  As consumers, we say we want the internet on our phones,  but Ewan points out that's not true.

This issue is something that I absolutely, 100%, fundamentally disagree with. People (normobs — normal mobile users) do not want the internet on their mobile. They think they do.

But they don’t.

What they want is the information from the internet, optimised and perfectly formatted for their handset. They would never tell you this, because, as I said, they just don’t know.

Compressing banner ads and re-sizing images to give an out-of-context and screwed up version of the website the user is trying to view is SUCH a poor experience it’s not even worth talking about, especially when others have already hit the nail on the head so perfectly...

Without knowing much about the Vodaphone controversy, what he is saying makes a lot of sense.  As a normal cellphone user - I don't want the full internet.  I want what I want, when I want it.  Information from Rss feeds, the ability to browse a few mobile-friendly sites and blogs, and the ability to make transactions at my bank or other vendor safely and easily.

I'm not writing full documents out in public.  I want quick viewing that loads quickly and gives me what I want.  I want 20-30 minutes of easy reading time when I'm standing in line, or waiting for the wife to shop, or looking for sports scores.  I don't want ESPN.com - I want the mobile version of ESPN that gives me the football scores, some video, and columns I want to read.

It's a striking example of the need to be thinking ahead, and an excellent post on the future of mobile sites from SMS Text News.    

Comments

[James Whatley]

Hey there Jim,

Glad you liked my post - :)

[Cameron]

You are spot on with this! Too many companies are relying on devices such as the iPhone to give consumers a genuine experience and they are failing miserably.
Brands need to focus on their mobile strategy with a particular sense of responsibility. The mobile web CAN be great- by using companies that focus on building mobile web sites that fit perfectly to every device and do all the hard work for you- without the need for transcoding. My recommendation is Wapple.net as I have used a few applications and this one by far does everything and more.

[Mark]

I disagree. We have the technology (opera mini, iphone) ro see the full web. I use opera to get the information when and where I want and don't need another version of wap created as a replacement for the real web. Why should companies have to produce another site?

[Mark]

I disagree. Why should we have two versions of the web (glorified wap) when technology allows us to see the real web. I get info when I want where I want and I am looking at your blog in full on my phone and posting to it.