Why iPhone is not ‘the next iPod’ …

July 1st, 2007 | Media, Online

While this post by Steve Safran was all about the iPhone, in it he also touched on the meaning of the mobile web.

The mobile web is different from the desktop and laptop web. There are already mobile-maximized sites out there. But these are mostly just lite versions of web pages. The mobile web is different - people using it have different needs. What successful local media companies will pay attention to is how people use the iPhone and its upcoming competitors in new ways. They will build pages and generate content that people using the mobile web will want.

The media is trying hard enough to keep up with ‘desktop’ and ‘laptop’ web. Add ‘mobile’ web into the mix as a standalone page and content creation system, and you either have to increase the workload, the staff numbers, or both. Local and global media will have to make a decision about how important all this web stuff is. Is it just about keeping up, or is it about defining the rules and setting the trends as you go?

It’s easy to say - but what does defining the rules and setting the trends mean? I’m still trying to figure that out.

Share: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.