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By Shantanu Paknikar On 24 Aug 2015
A picture speaks a thousand words and a movie perhaps speaks thousands of pictures. One basic requirement with photography (especially motion pictures) was that of a screen, to project the images (whether still or motion pictures). Similarly, the advent of television necessitated the requirement to build electronic displays for commercial use, which till then had been restricted to the realm of laboratories (anybody remember Cathode Ray Oscilloscopes)? The march of technology was relentless. Initial displays, which were based on Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) technology gave way to flat screen displays. Tube based technology eventually has given way to LCD, LED and Plasma technology based displays which are commonly seen today.
The context above mainly refers to displays or screens for viewership of individuals or small groups at a time (and therefore excludes for example cinema theaters). In the ‘personal screens’ space, two electronic gadgets occupied center stage for the most part of the twenty years between 1990 and 2010: Television and Personal Computers. One interesting point about these was the screen size. Barring a few exceptions (such as the failed netbooks experiment), a typical screen size for a computer monitor was 14 to 17 inches, while for television it was often 20 inches and above.
Put together, in those twenty years, computers and television occupied a very large percentage of “screen time” in terms of viewership percentages.
Enter the disruptions. The latter half of the decade between 2000 and 2010 saw the introduction of smaller screen based devices: smartphones and tablets. Ranging in size from around 4 to 5 inches for smartphones and 7 to 10 inches for tablets, these devices have disrupted the personal screens market in more ways than anticipated.
The most important data point: Screen time (viewership percentages) for smartphones and tablets in most countries of the world has already exceeded the screen time for computers and television. [Reference: KPCB report on Internet Trends, 2014 & 2015]. We need to remember that this is a data point and not a prediction any more. The era of “mobile first” is not futuristic, it has already arrived. Smartphones and tablets are now the primary mechanism to access digital content including the web, social media and just about anything that can be accessed using a mobile application. Mobile first has several interesting implications across industry sectors and focus areas. Here are three of my predictions.
As I write this, the news comes in that one of India’s leading e-commerce platforms is moving to a mobile only model. What makes this interesting is that a lot of companies are yet to come to terms with and execute the mobile first strategy. The sale of desktops and laptops for most manufacturers is also on the decline. The smaller screens are taking over the computing world.
Shantanu is a former Happiest Mind and this content was created and published during his tenure.
Shantanu Paknikar Shantanu is a former Happiest Mind and this content was created and published during his tenure.
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