Mobile is a different medium than the Web/PC/TV

I was actually about to write today a post about mobile user generated content (in another shameless attempt to promote GamearraY...), but while writing the draft I found myself having to explain a very important claim I always make: mobile is a different medium than the Web/PC/TV.

This claim is relevant not only to next generation mobile content, but also to current mobile content. When developing content, one must understand the target media for it, and this applies to all forms of content whether it's games, videos, music etc. And while it seems as a very obvious rule in content development in general, it seems that players in the mobile market sometimes miss that point, and the main reason for that is that mobile media was used to be defined by its technological barriers rather than by its actual usage patterns.

For example, when devices were B&W with screen resolutions that would even make 1980s consoles manufacturers very proud, no one thought about delivering videos to the mobile since it was simply impossible to do so, thus making the mobile by default to be a wrong medium for video. Later on, when color screens appeared and resolutions became more reasonable for videos, the mobile medium was redefined, and videos began showing up, though there were still many problems preventing customers from enjoying a worthwhile experience (Streaming was not an option and devices' memory size was too small to contain real quality videos, so all we got were 2 minutes clips with degraded quality).

Nowadays, the new devices have QVGA screens (240x320) that actually allows playback of MPEG-1 videos in about its original resolution. Bear in mind that this is the quality we used to have in VHS tapes and also VCD discs, so it's not bad at all, and given the small size of the typical device, the video should look quite crisp. In addition 3G networks allow for video streaming thus enabling TV broadcasts directly to the mobile or video on demand (Not to mention devices with TV receivers which are less favored by operators since they don't have to go through the network). Also, the storage current devices have allows for storing hours of VCD/DVD quality video.

So now that we know that we can deliver videos/TV to mobile devices, the question remains do the mass of mobile subscribers actually want that kind of a service? Note that the real issue here is not a matter of the ability of the "sender" but rather a matter of acceptance by the "recipient". Now, the reason I started with video/TV is that unlike gaming, TV is used by a major proportion of the population of all ages, so if both mediums (TV, Mobile) are equally good for broadcasts and videos, we would expect to see the same penetration rate on the mobile a few years from now.

But here exactly the usage patterns of the medium come to play: Though I do foresee a bright future for mobile TV/video, especially in the youth segment, I really (really) doubt it will ever reach the regular TV penetration rate, in fact I am quite sure it won't be even near that. And the reason for that is that even though the mobile medium is catching up technology-wise with other TV/video mediums, it is still an entirely different medium; And the most critical factor for TV/video consumption is the form factor: Mainstream phones have relatively small screens, and even smartphones and hybrids don't have screens that can compare with current days "supersized" TVs (or even with old small portable TVs for that matter...). In any case, most people will just not sit and watch full length movies or even TV episodes on a 2 inch screen.

And even though resolution/colors may improve - the screen size will stay the same. Why? Because mobile phones are used by over 2 billion people worldwide primarily as a personal and mobile communication device, and while some customers will love the added-value of other services (and hopefully some content services will even become mainstream over time), the most important factors for them when buying such a phone would be the factors that make it a good personal and mobile comm. device - and one of these factors is simply the size. Only a fraction of the population will prefer a bigger screen over a phone that actually fits in their pocket and is comfortable to hold and talk with....

So what kind of video can succeed in the mobile medium? Probably short bits of funny videos, the ones that people send each other in e-mails (And now exchanging through YouTube). This is certainly something I can see happening not too long from now. The attention it requires from you is for a short period of time, and unlike "sitting" to watch a movie/show, it's more casual and random. To watch your favorite shows - you will probably wait for your big screen TV at home...

Another thing that can succeed are real time events. While your mobile phone screen is small and wouldn't be your first choice - if you are stuck outside and your favorite football team is having their most critical game - you would probably want to watch that, even on a small screen. Same thing for breaking news that interest you. And here we can see a big advantage of the mobile medium over its peers - its mobility. For real time events, the mobile medium can certainly be a good fit with what the consumer actually wants...

I have just covered TV/videos in this post (and even on that there's so much more to say), but of course that the same principles apply also to other types of mobile content. We have to grab the essence of the mobile medium and understand where are its advantages and where are its shortcomings. Not everything that works on other mediums that may seem the same on first sight can work on the mobile as well.

Maybe later on I will make a post about mobile games, as this is the primary field I have been engaged on in the past year.

P.S. - I was actually having a hard time to find the exact figure for TV penetration, because articles are talking about penetration of digital TV and advanced technologies - but since I found this article that says that more than 80% of American households have a DVD player, I guess it is safe to assume that TV penetration rate is nearing 100%...