Today's consumers are finding more uses than ever for mobile devices, which leads to both a higher demand and a higher level of individual usage. As such, the mobile industry is constantly trying to stay ahead of the game by releasing improvements and new features to their products, as well as planning out the future for their next products in hopes that they will meet the demands of consumers. Since mobile usage is constantly changing, these predictions are often difficult to make accurately. Below are some of the newest headlines from this week alone, showing just how rapidly the mobile industry changes.
A recent study conducted by EE has found that consumer data usage on mobile devices is rapidly increasing, with an average individual data increase of 66 percent in the past year alone. As more people become comfortable using ubiquitous Wi-Fi connections to browse the Internet and do other online tasks, the amount of usage is drastically expanding. The study found that the biggest increases were a six percent rise in online mobile banking, and a five percent increase in the usage of social media. Another five percent increase was noted in music streaming services, while online news saw a four percent increase in the same period of time.
Meanwhile, device location tracking company, Foursquare, has made some changes that some users find controversial. In order to better cater to their users' habits, Foursquare decided to do away with manual check-ins, in favor of constantly tracking user locations through an app called Swarm. One can't help but imagine that Swarm could be an intrusion into a user's privacy, although the app will also encourage users through push notifications to leave reviews on places they visit. With so many reviews, this could become a valuable resource for potential customers – so long as they don't mind the watchful eye of Big Brother.
Meanwhile, Apple is planning the unveiling of the iPhone6 for September 9th according to a recent announcement. The iPhone 6 is rumored to have several new features such as split-screen app functionality and a new health monitoring app, while other reports indicate that two models will be simultaneously revealed. Ultimately, we will all have to wait for September to see the final product.
While Android has not set a specific date for when their newest line of phones will be implemented, there are still several speculations on what future Android phones may have to offer. These include higher levels of security to facilitate mobile banking, integrated messaging across multiple platforms, better mapping and location services, and longer-lasting batteries.
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