Asia is mobile first world
Google sees the region as launch pad for future mobile trends
TAIPEI—“Asia has the people and the hardware, but the software is still in the United States,” said Eric Schmidt, executive chair of Google, in a live cast during the “Asia: Mobile First World” media conference.
While there is so much fuss about Asia being one of the fastest growing regions in terms of mobile device adoption, Schmidt said that ( many of the) start- ups’ developing applications are still based in the US.
Still, the region commands a considerable amount of attention when it comes to the use of smartphones and other mobile devices and content consumption.
This and other developments make Asia the best candidate to become “Mobile First World.”
Chris Yerga, vice president for Engineering and Google Play in Asia Pacific, quoted The Consumer Barometer, a tool which tracks how people use the Internet, citing Singapore and South Korea as among the top 5 countries in mobile adoption.
Singapore is No. 1 with 85 percent, while South Korea placed second at 80 percent.
According to industry market research Canalys’ figures, smartphone shipments in Asia are growing at 30 percent year on year.
Yerga explained how Asia is driving change in innovation that is impacting the rest of the world particularly in mobile. He used “selfie stick” ( or monopods) as an example.
“Selfie stick is an ‘Asian innovation’,” Yerga said. “In 2012, ( the region) is already searching for selfies more than the US.”
Phablet ( smartphone with identity crisis) spiked sales in South Korea in 2013 where it represented 25 percent of total devices purchased and used.
“There is nothing wrong with Korean taste,” Yerga said. “It only took a while for the world to catch up.”
Incidentally, Google has an- nounced the release of its flagship phone Nexus 6 later this month.
Schmidt noted that in the early years of 2000, technology- driven countries Japan and South Korea were already boasting of front- facing cameras. These two, along with Taiwan, also offered faster than usual Internet speed. It is interesting to note that Taiwan is the first country to offer free public Wi- Fi nationwide.
Mobile only
“A mobile phone is not just a phone anymore,” Schmidt said. “They are supercomputers because of connectivity. It’s possible to do amazing things with smartphones in countries where you have strong Internet connectivity.”
There are countries that connect to the Internet using mobile only. Malaysia tops this segment with 35 percent, followed by Vietnam ( 24 percent), Singapore ( 16 percent), South Korea ( 14 percent), and Hong Kong ( 14 percent).
Before this generation, people could only log in to their email using a PC or a laptop at home or in the office. These days, mobility rules. Anyone can access all their accounts— social media or corporate— in a coffee shop or while in transit.
“( This is happening) not just ( in) developing nations,” Yerga said. “Singapore, South Korea, and Hong Kong all have double- digit ‘ smartphone only’ Internet users.”
The next digital natives will have smartphones as their very first computer or connected device, Yerga pointed out.
Content consumption
Aside from accessing social media accounts, calls, and messaging, smartphones are now the device of choice for video watching.
Yerga said that people who use their smartphones for business can also use them for entertainment. When one person use it to answer e- mails or message, he or she can also use it to watch video or listen to music while waiting for a reply.
Citing the Google Consumer Barometer, Yerga said, “Asia sees some of the highest rates of video- watching on smartphones in the world. Of smartphone owners, China consumes video content the most with 82 percent. South Korea follows at 81 percent as opposed to UK with 61 percent and Germany with 53 percent.
Schmidt pointed out how start- ups and developers are conscious of creating games and content for Android and iOS.
The numbers strengthen Asia’s grip on the “Mobile First World” tag as Google’s Consumer Barometer said that the number of registered developers on Google Play in Asia has grown three times in the last two years.
“Google Play paid out two- and- a- half times to developers from June 2013 to 2014 compared to the previous year,” he said.
Interestingly, Google said smartphone games are particularly popular in Asia with Thailand posting 65 percent of smartphone owners playing games on the device as compared to Germany’s 20 percent.
“Asia is the place where it’s all happening right now,” Yerga said. “This is the area where cultural trends and thought leadership are happening that will predict the way the rest of the globe uses mobile and smartphones.”