What the iPhone Means to the Mobile Web

By Kim Dushinski • July 11th, 2008

As the 3G iPhone goes on sale around the world I find myself wondering what it will mean to the mobile web. Some think that it will make the mobile web obsolete – that everyone will now want full web access on their mobile devices. Others see that application development for iPhone that is the real story. Yet others are launching full scale mobile marketing campaigns exclusively for iPhone users.

Clearly, application development is chock full of potential. And, while I don’t think that businesses should ignore all other mobile device users, I do believe that mobile campaigns targeted exclusively to these users will likely succeed.

Without a doubt the iPhone has changed the way the world sees mobile Internet access. This wonderous device has opened the eyes of consumers and businesses alike that accessing the Internet via mobile is not only possible, but accessible.

What I wholeheartedly disagree with is the idea that the mobile web will be made obsolete by the iPhone.

First of all, no matter how wonderful the iPhone is (no disagreement on that point), it still only has a 3.5 inch diagonal display. Screen size makes a huge impact on usability. No matter how slick the browser is and how easy it is to zoom in on what you want, you can only see 3.5 inches of a website at a time.

If you don’t believe that this impacts usability, just imagine that right now as you are reading this article your computer monitor instantly shrunk to a 3.5 inch size. How would your Internet experience change? My bet is that you wouldn’t finish reading this article because it would take too long. Instead of being able to read it quickly, scanning several paragraphs at a time, you would be forced to consume it in small bite-size chunks which would slow you down considerably. That is just one example of how screen size changes usability.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that iPhone users won’t find it easier to access the full Internet via their phones. Of course they will. This device changes how easy it is to consume full-size websites, but it does not make it easy enough to abandon the idea of having a site specifically designed for mobile consumption. A site that offers what users need when they are mobile and access to more if they choose to consume it through their small device.

Another point to consider is that even if Apple sold 40 million units today (They won’t. Some analysts predict 40 million unit sales for all of 2009.) iPhone users are a small fraction of the total 3 billion user population. The rest of the mobile world is still accessing the Internet without all the whiz-bang features. Everyone else needs specifically mobile-accessible websites. Really.

Bottom line:
Businesses should offer a mobile-friendly website in addition to their main website. If they choose to also offer an iPhone specific site as well, that is icing on the cake. Just don’t forget the cake and only pass out the icing.

Comments(2) Mobile in Society, iPhone

Comments

By Roland Reinhart on July 12th, 2008 at 12:47 pm

Hi Kim,
While the iPhone is a great step forward in mobile usability, it seems (to me) that there’s still no real progress in truly secure online transactions.

Is the iPhone (or any current smartphone) a reliable device to make big ticket purchases or access your bank account? I wouldn’t trust them.

Personally, I’ll pass on iPhone v2 for a variety of reasons I blogged about here:
http://tinyurl.com/dontwantiphone

By Matt Pollitt on July 24th, 2008 at 2:45 am

hi,
I have to admit i fully agree with you on this one. I think in it’s own right , the iphone is a great device that will do wonders for the mobile internet. But by that, i mean the way people have suddenly realised ‘wow, i can actually use the internet on my phone?’ .
I think especially if you work in the tech space, you have probaly known that you can do this for ages, but the average consumer only uses their mobile for voice and SMS. When ever i show perspective clients mobile applications that get data from the mobile web, or stream video, they are astonished that devices can actually do this.
I reckon the iPhone will only help to change the way the mobile web develops, in the sense that already large companies are taking notice and producing specific ‘iphone friendly’ pages.
Personally, i still find it easier to read a mobile web developed page on my N95 , than a normal web page on the iPhone browser….

matt