Mobile Networks Competing for Apple iPad Exclusivity

When Apple launched their latest device, the iPad many were quick to mock. The name and the size of the device seemed comical to most of us and yet interest in the iPad is high and it will no doubt sell like hot cakes. Suddenly people are looking down at their iPhones and iPods and deciding that they are lacking in size, what they really need is some kind of tablet device in a sleek black case without a removable battery.

The cheaper iPad models will, like the iPod touch, only connect to the internet via a Wifi connection. The higher end models will connect via 3G and will therefore require a contract iPad SIM card and a data contract. This has lead to a lot of interest from some of the UKs biggest mobile phone providers who want to sell the iPad. Apple executives are apparently in the country currently meeting with representatives from O2, Orange and Vodafone in order to decide who will be in on the launch.



It is not yet clear if any of the providers will have exclusive dibs on the iPad, although they would no doubt be more than happy to sign an exclusive deal. It is more likely that Apple will choose several of the big suppliers in order to maximize exposure and create competition. With Apple likely to take up to 30% of data revenues (as they do with the iPhone) the margins will be slim but the potential exposure will be great.

Whilst the interest in the iPad was inevitable (chuck an Apple logo on anything and it'll sell) it seems to be an indication of where things are headed. There appears to be a split in the mobile devices available between smart phones/ mobile computers and more basic pay as you go type phones. Most providers now offer free SIM card at one end of the spectrum and very high tech devices at the other end.

Skype Mobile App Comes to the Nokia Ovi Store

Nokia's Ovi store was launched in May 2009 and provides Nokia users with access to a variety of free and paid Apps. While it isn't as popular or as extensive as Apple's App store it has been a success and has recently hit 1.5 million downloads a day according to their in-house stats. The increasing sales of Symbian based smartphones has been credited with doubling the amount of monthly registrations during February.



The Ovi Store's latest release is a version of the Skype mobile application for Symbian devices. Whilst this application has been available previously it is expected that it's presence in the Ovi store will lead to an increase in downloads. Skype are hoping that by including their software in the store for free they will be able to increase their popularity amongst the 200 million smartphone users worldwide.

Using Skype's VOIP (Voice Over IP) software to circumnavigate calling cost is not a new idea. Three already offer a dedicated Skype Mobile called the Skypephone S2 and the mobile software is available for iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices. As consumers demand more from devices and tariffs the idea of paying a premium for calls seems less acceptable. With free minutes and VOIP calling it increasingly feels like we are paying for the device rather than our usage.



The fact that mobile phone providers are so happy for their subscribers to use the software shows that they are embracing the changing usage patterns of mobile devices. It seems likely that in the future we wont be carrying around a phone but a mobile computer with the ability to make phone calls. If you compare the early mobile phones with current smart phones you could even say that this has already happened.