{"id":40349,"date":"2013-12-21T16:22:10","date_gmt":"2013-12-21T16:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=40349"},"modified":"2013-12-21T16:33:19","modified_gmt":"2013-12-21T16:33:19","slug":"planet-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/planet-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"Planet of The Apps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Smartphones Are All About Business\u2026Funny Business<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"Untitled-1\"<\/a><\/span><\/b>\u201c<\/span><\/i><\/b>I have always known about man. From the evidence, I believe his wisdom must walk hand and hand with his idiocy. His emotions must rule his brain.\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u2013 Dr. Zaius, \u00a0<\/span>\u201cPlanet of the Apes,\u201d 20th<\/sup> Century Fox, 1968<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Have you noticed that Apple and Samsung have both lowered their sales projections? <\/span><\/p>\n

Have you noticed that companies like <\/span>Huawei, Lenovo, ZTE, Coolpad, Xiaomi and Oppo have all raised their projections?<\/span><\/p>\n

O.K., they aren\u2019t household names but they will be soon, at least household names in certain parts of the globe.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s because these firms (and probably hundreds of no-names you\u2019ll never hear of) are doing something Apple and Samsung won\u2019t or don\u2019t want to do \u2026 make a cheap \u2013 really cheap \u2013 smartphone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure, we know you don\u2019t care. You love your iPhone or Galaxy because it lets you do just about everything and be in touch with just about everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Got something to do? <\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s an app for that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Want to avoid something you need to do? <\/span><\/p>\n

There are hundreds of apps for that.<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem is, worldwide, there are more folks who can\u2019t afford to drop the equivalent of a year\u2019s plus salary for one of those two phones than there are of people who can afford them!<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Distribution of World Population<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"Untitled-2\"<\/a><\/span><\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Source \u2013 U.S. Census<\/span><\/p>\n

Emerging Share \u2013 <\/span><\/i><\/b>While the industrial countries account for more of the spendable income, people in emerging countries are making it known they are ready for technology. China and India both have populations of about a billion each. Add the people in Brazil, Russia and a few other countries and you\u2019re talking serious markets who are smartphone\u00a0 <\/span>ready!\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The folks most interested in getting their hands on a smartphone to do everything are those individuals living in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Chinese like the sleek look of the iPhone and Galaxy and everything you can do with them; but cripes, the <\/span>iPhone 5 costs about $780 in China and the Galaxy S4 costs about $850 \u2026 jeezz!<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

And they have to pay full price because Chinese carriers didn\u2019t buy into the idea of a phone subsidy to get you into the habit of using their service.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the ingenious Chinese figure they can knock those suckas off and give their countrymen \u2013 and the world \u2013 what they really want\u2026a cheap look-alike smartphone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Analysts at Bernstein figure that could mean about 300M phones a year in China and an equal number in the rest of the BRIC.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure, they could use their old flip-phones to make calls but they want to do what you do \u2026look cool\u2026 play games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Look at U.S. mobile gamers as an example – 17.7 percent will use their feature phone for gaming by 2017, but 90 percent of smartphone users will do the same with their everything device. Don\u2019t you think the ROW (rest of the world) will want to do the same? Well Yeah!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

As George Taylor said, \u201c<\/span>Chalk up another victory to the human spirit.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

That\u2019s great news for <\/span>Japanese mobile social gaming firms DeNA and GREE. When it comes to monetizing their users they\u2019re more efficient than anyone else.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s probably why Zynga bribed <\/span>Don Mattrick, the head of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Microsoft<\/span>‘s Xbox business, with a pay package that could be worth about $50M to give them a more global look at the market.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Despite all the business and store apps that are available to you and me, just remember the one thing we (O.K., you and my kids) want to do is play games.<\/span>\"Untitled-3\"<\/a><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Keeping Limber \u2013 <\/span><\/i><\/b>Smartphones let people do a lot of things and stay in touch with a lot of people; but the thing most users add are a few dozen games to keep them from getting bored. Ironically, most of the game play on their go-anywhere mobile device is at home.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Gamers are gamers, no matter where they live; or, as Julius said, \u201c<\/span>You know the saying, “Human see, human do.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

No wonder DeNa and GREE are glad to see those cheap smartphones coming out and why Zynga went on a staff diet and wrote a big check for a new boss.\"Untitled-4\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b>Global Potential \u2013 <\/span><\/i><\/b>The game industry has always been strong with all age groups, even though Boomers and Gen Xers don\u2019t admit it. In the emerging economies, the potential for mobile game play is very strong because the device is often their first and only computing\/communications device and the potential for mobile games \u2013 especially with less expensive smartphones \u2013 will be tremendous for developers.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

While console and PC games made healthy contributions to the 39 percent gaming growth that showed a respectable $960M in sales last year in the U.S., mobile will take the lead–especially in developing countries where the phone is their primary computing\/communications device.<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers at Newzoo project that much of the growth will come from the Asia Pacific and Latin American countries and that the new lower-cost smartphones could help game developers rake in about $12.3B by the end of the year<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no reason the model that has worked so well in the EU and Americas won\u2019t work just as well (translation \u2013 profitably) in countries where kids play games even more than ours.\"Untitled-5\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

All Segments Strong \u2013 <\/span><\/i><\/b>With the introduction of new game consoles and ultralight notebooks, the console\/PC market segment should continue to be good. But new generations of mobile devices (especially low-cost smartphones) should kick mobile gaming into high gear.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In the U.S., game developers make their money from a combination of paid downloads, in-game purchases of virtual goods and in-game advertising.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the market is rapidly evolving to <\/span>free, platform-agnostic games supported by a combination of ads and virtual goods sales.<\/span><\/p>\n

Multiply the U.S. figures by even 10 and suddenly you\u2019re talking about a serious pocket of change!<\/span>\"Untitled-6\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Profit Play \u2013 <\/span><\/i><\/b>Whether they are paid or free games, creative developers have also figured out how to turn a profit with the games people play. With the rapid ramp-up of cheap smartphones that have a good \u201clook\/feel,\u201d the open platform games could become even more profitable.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Yep, the market is going to be big, huge even; and there\u2019s nothing out there to make me believe that the new potential gamers will be any different from the people doing it right now \u2026 yes, right now!<\/span><\/p>\n

According to eMarketer, more than half of the U.S. and EU mobile phone users will play games on their phones this year. (The other half will lie about it.)\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Even though 44 percent primarily play games at home, 22 percent said they played \u201cwhile waiting for something\u201d<\/i> and 21 percent played while traveling.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While females tended more toward puzzles, guys preferred action and sports games (about 3 to 1 in each category). <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Untitled-7\"<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Game Categories \u2013 <\/span><\/i><\/b>Game developers don\u2019t really develop new games, new segments, new features for themselves, they design them for the guys\/gals so they buy more and more and more. While males tend to prefer sweaty palms and brutal action, the ladies prefer finesse, talent and eye\/hand\/mind coordination to win.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

At the same time, the tastes in game play changes with the various age groups.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Adrenalin- pumping action games tend to appeal more to the younger crowds while older players of both sexes tend to migrate to puzzle games.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Both GREE and DeNA have a very broad user base by offering games to fit every age group and play preferences.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With more smartphones being designed for consumers in emerging markets, the growth potential for the Chinese device manufacturers \u2013 and mobile game producers \u2013 should be very strong in the coming years.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

According to Canalys, Samsung presently has 20 percent of the Chinese market, and several \u201chometown\u201d companies have surpassed Apple\u2019s 8 percent market share.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Local competitors are going to make it tough for Apple and Samsung because Chinese smartphone shoppers are concerned about brand image and the look\/feel, but they are still concerned with price.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Both market leaders will have to deliver lower-cost units to retain and grow their market share without diluting the value (and profit) from their high-margin units.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The move is important for Apple and Samsung because Chinese switch phones far more often than folks in the West \u2014 generally after about six months, compared with every two years or so in developed economies. <\/span><\/p>\n

And doing well at home will help the Chinese smartphone producers export their devices to the rest of the emerging countries around the globe.<\/span><\/p>\n

As more of the economic smartphones are sold, more kids will download games and the mobile game market that can be monetized will continue to get bigger.<\/span><\/p>\n

As George Taylor exclaimed, \u201c<\/span>It’s a mad house! A mad house!\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Untitled-8\"<\/a><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

# # #<\/p>\n

G.A. \u201cAndy\u201d Marken<\/h1>\n

President<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marken Communications, Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Andy@markencom.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Smartphones Are All About Business\u2026Funny Business \u201cI have always known about man. From the evidence, I believe his wisdom must walk hand and hand with his idiocy. His emotions must rule his brain.\u201d \u2013...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2055,"featured_media":40352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533,7],"tags":[4484,7339,130],"class_list":["post-40349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abt-news","category-technology","tag-apps","tag-cheap-smartphones","tag-games"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2055"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}