What’s Next for 2008
Fortune has put together a Top 10 list of the biggest wireless trends for 2008.
Among them: the first Android-supported phone (by HTC), WiMax will be launched in select markets (Chicago, D.C., Baltimore, and more), “Nokia will become a major mobile software player” (thanks to a reorganization and new acquisitions), mobile ads will start appearing on cell phones, the big carriers will take over the 700 mhz spectrum (even though other heavyweights such as Google and Chevron will be participating in the FCC auction), and of course – there will be bigger and better (touch-screen) cell phones.
That got me thinking: 2007 was a big year for all things wireless. The iPhone dominated the year yet again, and proved that Americans would quite readily drop $599 (and eventually $399) for a “cool” touch-screen cell phone. Motorola debuted its RAZR2, three years after its predecessor won the hearts of millions of people. Nokia released some successful devices in the major regions of the world – the N95, 6300, N800 – and about a billion “emerging market” phones everywhere else. Samsung overtook Motorola to become the second largest phone manufacturer by sales. The Sony Ericsson partnership shipped a record number of Walkman and Cybershot phones, but that didn’t help Sony and Ericsson much – both companies had a pretty lousy year.
And a year ago I was using a Nokia N80, a phone that now seems like it was made in the pre-Stone Age era. Compare that to my current N81, and the differences are just astounding.
Here’s to what will inevitably be yet another great year for the wireless world.
The top 10 wireless trends for 2008
