Mobile Widget Platforms: Reaching the Long Tail with Disposable Applications

ARCchart, July 2009, Pages: 72

Easy to develop, disposable and instant to access, the mobile widget caters to diverse niches of consumers by providing a targeted window onto the Internet, driving the mobile web towards its next phase of evolution.

The way people use the Internet is changing. Users expect to interact with the Internet from any place, any time and in a user friendly way. Mobile widgets will play an important role in this changing landscape by providing iPhone-like access to the cloud with portable applications that users can share and which developers can easily produce in order to serve niche markets on the Internet.

The author estimates the market for mobile widget platforms was $72 million in 2008 and expects the market to grow at a CAGR of 80%, reaching $1.3 billion by 2013. The mobile widget market opportunity presents a number of potential revenue streams depending on preferred business model. Widget platforms are either licensed to OEMs or wireless operators; or stand-alone widget platforms serve users directly, supported by revenue share agreements and advertising. In many cases, mobile widget platform vendors are leveraging a combination of these business models in order to achieve success in this evolving marketplace.

Topics of coverage include:

- An appetite for disposable applications
- In-depth profiles of the leading platform vendors and standards organisations
- Five year market forecast for widget platform
- Native apps vs. the browser vs. the widget
- Recommendations to brands, carriers, OEMs and platform vendors
- Summary of carrier widget developments
- Emerging widget standards
- Managing the backend: app store, distribution, life-cycle management
- Nurturing a developer ecosystem

Answers and opinions are provided with respect to the following essential questions:

- What is a mobile widget?
- Who are the leading mobile widget platform vendors?
- How big is the mobile widget advertising opportunity?
- Why has Yahoo abandoned Yahoo! Go?
- Why is the revenue forecast for widget client licenses so low?
- Which companies are best positioned to dominate the widget platform market?
- Is there a future for On Device Portals (ODPs)?
- Which market will be more lucrative for widget platform vendors: smartphones or non-smartphones?

A. GENERAL TRENDS

B. WIDGET MARKET DEFINITION
B.1What is a mobile widget
B.2What is a mobile widget platform?
Device Runtime
Distribution and Monetization
Development Tools
B.3Defining a Moving Target
B.4What is not a Widget Platform
On Device Portals
Mobile Phone Tops
B.5Types of Widget Platforms
Web Widget Platforms
Native Widget Platforms
Specialised Widget Platforms
Telecom Widget Platforms
Enterprise Widget Platforms
B.6Benefits and Challenges with Widget Technology
Fragmentation
API Standardization
The OMTP and JIL
Security
Device Resources
Evolving Web Technologies
Mobile AJAX
User Experience and Content Discovery
Widget Development
B.7Who are the Players?
Software Vendors
Position in the Value Chain
Carriers
Position in the value Chain
Market Opportunity
Hardware Vendors
Position in the Value Chain
Market Opportunity
Internet, Advertising Companies & Brands
Position in the Value Chain
Market Opportunity
B.8Strategies
Business Models
Via Carriers and OEMs
Direct to Consumer
Other Approaches
Distribution Strategies
Developer Recruitment Strategies
Strategies to Improve Discoverability

C. MARKET SIZE AND FORECASTS
C.1Market Drivers
Changing User Behaviour
The Rise of Social Networking
Mobile Advertising Opportunity
Increased Competition to Provide Mobile Applications
Cheaper and Unlimited Mobile Data Plans
Emerging Markets Growth
Barriers to Growth
Lack of Significant Brand Participation
Fragmentation
Carriers Lack of Decisiveness
C.2Forecast Methodology
Primary and Secondary Sources
Model
C.3Market Opportunity
C.4Market Size
Advertising Opportunity
Revenue Share Opportunity
Carrier Licensing Opportunity
Client Licensing Opportunity

D. COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT
D.1Substitute and Competing Technologies for Accessing the Mobile Web
Native Apps
On Device Portals
Browsers and Mobile Optimised Websites
D.2Vendor Competition
Software Vendors
Cross Device Presence
Carrier Relationships and Installed Base
Ecosystem
Device Coverage and Performance
Geographic Presence
OEMs
Palm - WebOS
Nokia - WRT
Motorola - WebUI
Samsung
Sony Ericsson
Research in Motion
Mid to Low-End Devices
Carriers
D.3User Requirements
End Users
Usability
Configurability
Responsiveness
Accessibility
Richness

E. THE FUTURE OF THE MOBILE WIDGET MARKET
E.1Short Term Catalysts
E.2Widgets Place in the Market Long Term
Pure-Plays Will Find Their Niche
Java Based Platforms Will Not Compete
High ROI for Brands Getting the Formula Right
App stores will Merge

F. RECOMMENDATIONS
Stick to Standards
Don’t Restrain Users
Be Creative with Business Models
Engage Mobile Media Specialists
Nurture the Ecosystem

G. COMPANY PROFILES
G.1ACCESS
Company Overview
Products
Strategy
Business Model
Customers & Users
- SoftBank
- NTT DoCoMo
- Willcom
- Samsung
Strategic Outlook
Competitive Advantages
Competitive Challenges
G.2Yahoo! Inc.
Company Overview
Products
Blueprint
Yahoo! Go
Strategy
Business Model
Developer and Ecosystem Strategy
Customers & Users
Strategic Outlook
Competitive Advantages
Competitive Challenges
G.3Opera
Company Overview
Product
Strategy
Business Model
Tools and Ecosystem Development
Customers & Users
Strategic Outlook
Competitive Advantage
Competitive Challenges
G.4SurfKitchen
Company Overview
Product
Strategy
Business Model
Tools and Ecosystem Development Strategy
Customers & Users
Strategic Outlook
Competitive Advantage
Competitive Challenges
G.5Plusmo Inc.
Company Overview
Product
Strategy
Business Model
Tools and Ecosystems Development
Customers & Users
Strategic Outlook
Competitive Advantages
Competitive Challenges
G.6Myriad Group
Company Overview
Products
Mobile Software Offerings
Widget Platform
Strategy
Competition
Business Model
Tools and Ecosystems development
Customers & Users
Strategic Outlook
Competitive Advantages
Competitive Challenges
G.7OMTP- Open Mobile Terminal Platform
Organization Overview
Product
BONDI
Strategy
Strategic Outlook
Competitive Advantages
Competitive Challenges
G.8Joint Innovation Lab (JIL)
Organisation Overview
Product
Strategy
Business Model
Customers & Users
Strategic Outlook
Competitive Advantages
Competitive Challenges
Company Overview
Products
Plaza Mobile Internet
Strategy
Business Model
Developer and Ecosystem Development Strategy
Customers & Users
Strategic Outlook
Competitive Advantages
Competitive Challenges
G.9Nokia Corporation
Company Overview
Products
WidSets
Web Runtime (WRT)
Strategy
Business model
Partners and Acquisitions
Developer and Ecosystem Development Strategy
Customers & Users
Strategic outlook
Competitive advantages
Competitive Challenges

List of Figures
Figure A-1: Accumulated Apple app store downloads, April 2009
Figure B-1: BONDI and JIL initiatives address device and network APIs
Figure C-1: Diversity of iPhone apps providing a window into the mobile web
Figure C-2: US mobile Internet users and penetration, 2008-20
Figure C-3: Usage of free mobile applications over time, February 2009
Figure C-4: US desktop widget and application advertising spending, 2007 & 2008
Figure C-5: Advertising revenue opportunity segmented by region, 2008-2013
Figure C-6: Widget subscription revenue share opportunity segmented by device type, 2008-20
Figure C-7: Paid-for widget revenue share opportunity segmented by device type, 2008-20
Figure C-8: Sever licence opportunity segmented by region, 2008-20
Figure C-8: Sever licence opportunity segmented by region and carrier size, 2008-2013
Figure C-10: Smartphone client licensing opportunity segmented by region, 2008-20
Figure C-9: Non-smartphone client licensing opportunity segmented by region, 2008-2013
Figure C-10: Overall client licensing opportunity segmented by device type and region, 2008-20
Figure D-1: Comparison of browsers, widgets and native apps in terms of their reach and device integration
Figure D-2: The Palm Pre’s WebOS application launcher
Figure E-1: The Palm Pre

List of Tables
Table B-1: Examples of non-widget handset solutions
Table B-2: Summary of widget platform and browser vendors
Table B-3: Summary of carrier widget initiatives
Table B-4: Summary of handset OEM widget and app store initiatives
Table C-1: Widget platform market forecast, 2008-20
Table C-2: Frequency of mobile Internet access amongst US subscribers, 2008-2009
Table C-3: Widget platform market forecast segmented by revenue source: 2008-2013
Table G-1: List of OMTP Members
Table G-2: List OMTP Sponsors
Table G-3: List of OMTP Advisors

- Abaxia
- ACCESS
- Accuweather
- Amazon
- Apple
- AT&T
- BONDI
- Capital One
- Celltick
- China Mobile
- Cibenix
- Feed Henry
- Google
- GooJet
- Hip Logic
- HTC
- Joint Initiate Lab (JIL)
- KDDI
- LG
- Microsoft
- Mobui (Action Engine)
- Motorola
- Myriad
- NellyMoser
- Net Biscuits
- Nokia
- NTT DoCoMo
- OMTP
- OnSkreen
- OpenWave
- Opera
- Orange
- Palm
- Pepsi
- Plusmo
- Qualcomm
- Quattro Wireless
- RIM
- Samsung
- SanDisk
- Sharp
- Snipperoo
- Softbank
- Sony Ericsson
- Streamezzo
- Sun Microsystems
- SurfKitchen
- Sybase iAnywhere
- Telefonica
- Telstra
- T-Mobile
- UIEvolution
- uLocate
- Verizon
- Vodafone
- Volantis
- Widsets
- Willcom
- Yahoo!
- Zumobi

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