A New Era for Mobile Phone Apps
With Friday’s launch of the new Apple iPhone 3GS, we now have a hand-held device that really gives app developers a platform to work with.
If any of you developers need investment money to further your app development efforts, check out this post I made back in February. The venture capital firm, Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield and Byers is looking to invest in iPhone app developers.
On the other hand, CNN had an interesting poll on their news site today, where they asked the question, “Does your cell phone have the features you want?”
- 30% said, “Yes, it’s perfect.”
- 21% said, “No, I wish it had more stuff.”
- 49% said, “I just want it to ring.”
Has anyone tried to buy a mobile phone lately that just makes phone calls? I have, and there is practically nothing to chose from. With about half of all mobile phone users wanting a device that only makes phone calls, this is a very large—unserved—market. The folks who came up with the Jitterbug mobile phone apparently have this niche market all to themselves. It is too bad they do not yet have broad enough distribution.
Innovation does not demand making things more complicated—it takes real innovation to make things more simple.
Then again, maybe the innovators should check with customers first.
Charging for Internet Use
I read a couple of disturbing articles recently about the upcoming financial control of the Internet. Here is what Rupert Murdoch said recently:
“…you can confidently presume that we are leading the way in finding a model that maximizes revenue return for our shareholders… The current days of the Internet will soon be over.”
—Rupert Murdoch
It seems that big business made a mistake some time ago by not charging for Internet service the same way they charge for cell phone service. Now they are trying to put the toothpaste back into the tube. Will they succeed?
About 360,000 people recently downloaded an iPhone app for the Wall Street Journal. Murdoch said these users would soon be made to pay “handsomely” for accessing WSJ content. And that is just a start.
Recently, Time Warner announced plans for a new billing system that “meters” Internet usage and charges customers according to how much they download. In addition to subscription rates for services (see WSJ above), customers would pay for Internet usage “plans,” and would face stiff penalties if they exceeded their limit of Internet usage.
Not only is high speed Internet access out of reach of 40 percent of American homes, it is more costly and slower in the U.S. than in 21 other developed countries. Now, with the new pricing plans, like Times Warner, high speed Internet would be even further out of reach of 10’s of millions of Americans.
Is this how America is going to reassert itself as the innovation leader of the world. The Internet is an integral part of innovation, design, invention, developing, and building—and the Internet in the U.S. is already technologically behind most of the rest of the developed world.
Where does this leave America on the new world stage of information technology and innovation?
Venture Capital Available
If you are a tech-based company and are looking for venture capital as seed money or expansion capital, it is now available…that is, if you are developing new applications or services for Apple’s iPhone, or iPod Touch.
The Venture Capital firm of Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers (KPCB) is seeking companies with “market changing” ideas. KPCB’s current iFund focuses on location-based services, social networking, mobile commerce, communications, and entertainment. They will make investments ranging from $100,000 of seed capital, to $15 million of expansion capital.
If your business fits any of KPCB’s current focus areas, and you need capital to start up, or expand, this may be your opportunity. You may get more information from KPCB here.
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