There’s an app for just about everything

‘There’s an app for that’ – with thousands of new smartphone apps being developed every day, this phrase (coined by Apple in 2009) is beginning to seem a reality.  Our research indicates that 80% of smartphone users have experienced downloading and using apps. However, with today’s fast paced technology market, there are signs that apps are already moving into a new phase.

The future is smarter, connected and integrated apps

So far, apps have successfully extended the functionality of smartphones. Instagram is a great example, giving smartphone-camera users a whole new experience when taking photos. Yet apps have their limitations. Most tend to work in isolation and there is currently limited ability to link and connect different apps. The future of apps will depend on their ability to work seamlessly together to provide a rich and integrated experience.

Tech brands inevitably want to understand what our future technologies might look like and what we might want of them.  As such, much of our time as market researchers is spent exploring how technology can meet consumer needs both from a shorter and longer-term perspective.  Of course, innovation is often developed incrementally. Much of the success of Apple, for example, is arguably based less on groundbreaking ideas and rather on the excellent execution of existing technologies.  Yet, as technology becomes increasingly ubiquitous and devices are less about specific functions and more about general enablers (think basic mobile device versus smartphone), the task of understanding how technology devices and services will be used in the future gets ever more complex.

Recent findings on the quality of service provided by UK mobile operators, broadband, landline and TV providers reveal that more than one in three call centre or email support interactions leave customers either indifferent or unhappy with the experience[1].

If we stick our necks out and factor in contact frequencies over the course of a year and gross up to represent the UK adult population, this equates to somewhere around 30 million missed opportunities to create closer bonds with customers. Disappointing customer service is often highlighted as a key driver of customer churn, so the billions (yes, billions!) these customers spend each year with their telecoms providers represent a nice little carrot for those providers who most effectively address this problem.

When Apple launched the iPad in 2010, tablet PC’s emerged as a revolutionary consumer gadget; by 2011 the tablet market was worth US$35.3 billion (£22.5 billion)[1]. The iPad remains dominant in this market, with other tablets such as BlackBerry PlayBook, Samsung Galaxy Tab, HP Touchpad, and Motorola Xoom entering the market with varying degrees of success. There’s no doubt the tablet has become a sought after consumer product, and many expected them to take the enterprise market by storm and become a valuable business tool…but has this actually happened? And if not, why not?

Tablets remain a ‘third’ device

The timing would seem perfect for tablets. An increasingly mobile workforce requires cutting-edge devices to enable them to both work remotely and productively anywhere, at any time, and to serve the needs of their personal lives. Tablets look well positioned to provide exactly that, and yet usage hasn’t spread as quickly through the business world as it has for consumers. But why?

When it comes to a sport that has gripped the nation, cycling is definitely on the up.

Take a look at our infographic to see how the nation engaged with the 2012 Olympics men’s time trial.