Many pundits and experts in the industry are proclaiming 2014 as the tipping point in technology, citing the shift in balance between users of mobile devices and tablets compared to desktop users as the catalyst. It is a great way of simplifying the changes that this year may bring, but the main driving force underneath it all is the rapid increase in computing power and bandwidth, which gives people smaller and more portable means of accessing data.

What does this mean for your business? It means that there may be some big changes coming your way and you need to be aware of them, just in case you’re one of the many businesses that need to change or adapt in order to avoid being left behind. These changes include:

Mobile Overtakes PC

By the time you are reading this, the number of mobile users have already overtaken the number of desktop PC users. And it’s not just in the number of ownership, mobile has also overtaken PC in frequency of usage. After all, mobile devices are designed to be used anywhere and anytime a person wants, so it’s only natural that there’s more opportunity for mobile owners to use their devices as opposed to PCs.

In your business, this means you have to start targeting mobile users based on the strengths and limitations of their devices – anywhere from the size of their screens, to their unique input methods and even the location where they are used.

Click here and learn how Prestige Technologies can help you develop a device responsive website.

New Interconnected Devices Sparked New Business Models

Directly, these new mobile Internet-ready devices are new businesses in and of themselves, as they have given manufacturers a new market to target. In fact, there are hardware manufacturers who have abandoned the desktop market in favor of mobiles and portables. This includes big names, such as Sony, which has already discontinued several laptops in order to focus on the mobile segment.

Even if you don’t take into account the actual devices themselves, these new connected devices have become the underlying infrastructure for all sorts of new business models, such as free to use software that are monetized through ads or in-app purchases, cloud-based software, and various new approaches to advertising. If your business is finding it hard to keep up with competitors, the mobile market could present several new opportunities this year.

New Jobs Will Replace Ones Taken Over by Machines

Last but not the least, This year may be the start when increased focus on automation may result in some jobs being replaced by algorithms and machines. It seems like a gloomy prediction, but this is not the first time this has happened. It’s normal for jobs to be replaced by advancements in technology. Fortunately for people who are being affected, the lost jobs will be replaced by new opportunities. These automated programs, machines, and whatnot need operators, maintenance, and other repair that cannot be done through automation.

For businesses, you might want to look if there are areas in your operations that could benefit from automation. This will save you a lot of money on manpower or will at least allow you to streamline your operations better.

Tags: mobile sites, responsive websites

This entry was posted on Monday, April 7th, 2014 at 7:00 am and is filed under Design and Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.