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The home will become a key new area for innovation and competition in 2012 as smartphone players move to enable smartphones to interact with home entertainment devices in a more seamless and integrated manner, according to new research from Analysys Mason.
Based on latest figures from Google, about 93% of smartphone owners are using their handsets at home. This trend is set to continue throughout 2012, and will spark the following strategic changes in the mobile industry.
Figures from Ofcom, on the other hand, show that 15% use a computer less since purchasing a smartphone. Considering these numbers, smartphones will continue to displace the PC in the home as a means of checking emails and accessing social networks.
Analysys Mason’s report titled “The Connected Consumer Survey 2012” also predicts that smartphones will interact with other home devices such as the TV or Hi-Fi system in a better, more-integrated manner. Further, leading smartphone operating system companies that also have strong interests in the TV industry -- such as Apple, Google and Microsoft -- will find a new battleground in the home in 2012.
“The mobile/home interaction paradigm is set to bring a new platform for innovation to the applications space,” said Ronan de Renesse, lead analyst and author of the report.
“For instance, several providers have begun offering solutions that synchronize TV sets and smartphones, so that the smartphone is aware of what is being watched on TV,” De Renesse added. “However, the corresponding revenue opportunity is unclear, because little or no consumer spend is allocated to those applications that service providers see more as a churn reduction tool than a stand-alone revenue generator.”
Staff Writer