Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way. We hope you enjoy it!
And without further ado:
I have never claimed to be a numbers sort of guy, and in fact what drew me to a journalism education was the promise that all number games could be solved using a calculator.
However, when it comes to the mobile space, numbers are what sell, and the more the better. Why do you think every “new” version of an operating system or device is a higher number than the previous version? People know that more equals better. It’s just science.
(Quick side note: This whole more numbers being better thing pertains to all things besides golf, where for some reason a negative number is a good thing. I blame this ill-logic for the reason why I am not good at golf. It just doesn’t make sense.)
This scenario was again highlighted this week as a number of new mobile devices were announced that showed the importance of this numbers game. And, in my opinion, how these devices stack up in this game will determine their impact on the market.
Take the announcement this week by LG and Sprint Nextel about the launch of the LTE-enabled and awesomely-named Viper. This device was blessed by the manufacturer with one of the best names in the industry, yet its specification would seem to indicate more of a garter snake than something as ferocious as a viper.
–Four-inch display? In a market where inches matter, this is already on the low end for a smartphone and will seem like a postage stamp before too long.
–1.2 GHz dual-core processor? Again, seems like plenty of power today, but with higher-powered chipsets currently flooding the market and talk of quad-core on the horizon, this would seem to be a standard spec now that in six months will seem quaint.
–5-megapixel rear, VGA-quality front cameras? I am not one of those that expects camera phones to wow me with picture quality, but this would appear to have been a combination sported by a free smartphone, not one sporting an LTE chipset.
–Android 2.3? I have gone on record as saying that Google’s constant updating of its Android operating system has gotten out of hand, but to have a device set to launch with anything other than the latest Android OS would seem to be foolish. Sure, LG and Sprint Nextel could come out with an OS update at some point, but people want their new phones to be awesome out of the box, not after some lengthy and risky OS update.
Sure, this is being marketed as an “entry-level” LTE device and will sell at a corresponding price of $100, but it’s still an LTE device that when it launches later this month would be expected to have a shelf life of at least a year. And with this mix of numbers, I don’t see this device having much of an impact. Further hurting the Viper’s potential is that the device appears to mirror the LG Lucid Verizon Wireless announced late last month, though that device will sell for just $80.
Also troubling for Sprint Nextel is that the Viper appears set to be the first LTE device is will make available to consumers, which seems like a sucker punch to early adopters. These are the folks that camp out in front of stores in hopes of being the first to have the latest device, even if that first status only lasts for seconds. Since it seems this condition is uncontrollable in many cases, these poor people are going to be standing in line for a device that will leave them with number envy once those fleeting seconds wear off.
Even worse for LG was that later this week Sprint Nextel partnered with HTC for a swanky device launch in New York City to show off its new Evo 4G LTE device that thankfully sports all the latest bells and whistles expected of a proper LTE smartphone. This device is set to pack a 1.5 GHz dual-core chip, 4.7-inch screen, x-ray cameras, thumping bass and the Android 4.0 OS. This device will also sell for $200, which in the eyes on consumers equals a more desirable phone, because again higher numbers are better.
This same numbers issue appears set to hit Nokia, which can ill-afford any misstep in its attempt to re-engage the U.S. market. The company’s latest uber-device, the Lumia 900, sports a number of eye-catching features, including the latest Windows Phone operating system; a slim, aluminum casing; and access to AT&T Mobility’s LTE network.
However, that device is set to launch at AT&T Mobility just prior to the launch of the the HTC Titan II device that also runs the Windows Phone OS, includes a bigger screen, a 16-megapixel camera and will sell for twice the price. Again, more numbers equal better in the eyes of consumers. And again, those consumers that stand in line hoping to be the first with an LTE, Windows Phone device from AT&T Mobility will be kicking themselves weeks later when the number-packed Titan II hits the market.
Hopefully that aluminum casing employed by the Lumia can shrug off the inevitable damage caused by owners throwing the device against the nearest wall, or at least weather the tears that will fall once the owner realized their big mistake.
Look, I didn’t invent this number game and am as much a victim to it as anyone. But, handset makers appear to need a better understanding of how this game is played if they want to make a splash in the market. Otherwise, why play the game?
OK, enough of that.
Thanks for checking out this week’s Worst of the Week column. And now for some extras:
–The week’s best subject line to an e-mail and reason that I had to replace my keyboard due to Mountain Dew spit-take: “CTIA Statement on Senator Schumer’s Release on Cramming”
Go ahead, wipe off your computer screen and give that another read. Soak it in. Your welcome.
Did this e-mail contain some important information that held the future of the wireless industry in balance? I have no idea.
—Pew Internet late last month released a study of teen texting habits, and surprise, surprise, teens like to text. The study found that median number of texts sent per day by those surveyed had increased from 50 in 2009 to 60 in 2011. A good increase, but a lower number than what I would have suspected.
Older, female teens remain king (queen?) of the keypad with a median number of 100 texts sent per day compared to a median number of 50 texts per days for boys of the same age group. Text messaging is also the preferred means of any form of communications for teens, with respondents claiming a higher percentage of messaging contact with those people in their lives than a phone call, face-to-face socializing outside of school, social network site messaging and instant messaging.
These would appear to be great numbers for the wireless industry as its attempt to get young people hooked on all things mobile has worked.
–I recently managed to separate myself for a week from the inappropriate relationship I seem to have with my keyboard and found some locations in the country that remain free from cellular coverage. I remain adamant that the cellular phone has been the most impactful consumer electronics invention of all time, but gotta say that it’s nice to every once in a while find a place where my urge to remain always connected is thwarted.
–And finally, despite the passionate words of LightSquared’s former CEO and now chairman Sanjiv Ahuja at the recent Rural Cellular Association event, the lights appear to be nearly out for that one-time upstart LightSquared, as published reports indicate that it billionaire financial backer would like to remain a billionaire and not someone who used to be a billionaire before foolishly trying to back a wireless operator with no chance to succeed.
Will have to say that I am a bit sad to see this saga end as LightSquared’s plans for a wholesale network were just crazy enough to provide plenty of fodder for this column. Alright Dish, you have some big shoes to fill.
I welcome your comments. Please send me an email at dmeyer@rcrwireless.com.
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