Are Androids and new Smartphones and Tablets Disruptive?

It is clear now as we enter 2011 that Andoid-based products and iPhone/iPad products are here to stay for a long time. Android has become the core platform for many cell/smartphones and now many tablets. I had predicted desksets/desktop phones would begin to appear on Android and although there are some, they are mostly high volume consumer-oriented devices. Tablet computing has matured thanks to iPad and Kindle and knock-offs but we now see a path to the future.  Both will survive.

What is interesting is that businesses and enterprises of all sizes are adopting these devices globally. Many larger companies allow users to bring their own mobile device and allow it onto the corporate network. This was a huge roadblock before for smart devices.

CES 2011 is a good indicator of the opportunities we all see : Apple will be joined by Google and Motorola, tablet makers globally are looking for weakness in iPad's armor and smartphones will continue to innovate in size and scope. Applications are key and will continue to evolve as both Apple's App Store and Andoid's App Stores continue to grow and impress users.

I can't emphasize enough the innovation and creativity making these adjoining markets exciting far beyond my the expectations of last 2010 blog post. I had a feeling this would be good, but it is more disruptive than I had expected. Maybe I felt that way as I already was a convert iPhone user in 2008 (I have two now, one business and one personal) but my Technical Marketing team at Tyco Electronics have mostly moved to Android smartphones as well as many friends and colleagues.

I will not re-write anything here that is already out there today - do a simple search for each product/device/term, etc. and you'll get more pages of information than the average person can comprehend. But I will predict a few things:

Prediction 1: Apple will stay ahead in innovation

Prediction 2: One (no more than two) tablets will be market winning alternatives to iPads for non-Apple fans

Prediction 3: Android will become the largest open source community in the world in the foreseeable future

Prediction 4: LTE/4G will take another 24-36 months to be cost efficient and ubiquitous due to network deployment costs and alternatives available

I look forward to reading more on CES each day I can't be there but I feel like I am there with all the social media reports and Tweets and Blogs and Videos. Thanks to all who are contributing!