Mobile Cloud Applications

Widgets and the Apps Dilemma for Smartphones, Netbooks, Media Tablets, and Connected Mobile Devices

The mobile application market is about to change radically, from suppliers' standpoint and from the consumer access standpoint due to the emergence of widgets, the most compelling of mobile cloud applications. Much has been made of the mobile app phenomenon popularized by Apple’s iconic iPhone. Forecasts involving mobile app stores, app downloads and revenues have been consistently optimistic, with no end in site to the growth of mobile apps. Yet under the sunny surface a different story is taking shape -- a story that features discontent and frustration by large and small app developers and a growing number of consumers alike. Mobile apps as we know them today are really the domain of smartphone users. The rest of the mobile subscriber world has generally had to stand by and watch, since their phones are not powerful or fast enough to handle mobile apps. App developers are becoming increasingly frustrated with the limited reach and growing cost of launching and maintaining mobile apps. Smartphone apps are typically custom built for particular smartphone platforms in advanced programming languages, limiting the available pool of developers and driving up costs. Increasingly, the answer to these problems is coming from the cloud in the form of widgets. Widgets will exponentially expand the market for mobile applications, introducing complex, rich user experiences to a new and much larger mobile consumer audience.

This report examines the drivers and barriers to the growth of markets for mobile widgets, the type of devices, geographic regions and distribution channels which will favor them, key players within the mobile widget ecosystem, and the business models employed. Forecasts include mobile widget downloads and revenue by region and device type (smartphone, feature phone, connected mobile devices, etc.)

What Questions Does This Report Answer?

  • Native apps vs. widgets -- how important will widgets be over the next five years?
  • As the importance of widgets grows, who are the winners and losers?
  • What companies and entities will benefit from the growth of widgets?
  • What are the barriers to exponential growth of widgets?
  • How will distribution change for mobile applications because of the impact of widgets?
  • What are the major revenue opportunities to emerge because of widgets?
  • What regional markets will be the best and worst markets for widgets?
  • What kind of mobile devices will be the best and worst markets for widgets?

Who Needs This Report?

  • Application developers
  • Application platforms
  • MNOs
  • Mobile application stores
  • Brands
  • Media companies
  • Browser vendors
  • Mobile device OEMs
  • Advertising agencies
  • Investment firms

Table of Contents

Executive Brief: Top-Line Forecast
Executive Brief: Drivers
Executive Brief: Inhibitors
Executive Brief: Market Share
Executive Brief: Summary and Strategic Recommendations

Section 1.
Executive Summary
1.1. Market Opportunity Overview
1.2. Market Drivers
1.2.1. Demand Driver
1.2.2. Supply Drivers
1.3. Barriers
1.3.1. Demand Barriers
1.3.2. Supply Barriers
1.4. Addressable Markets
1.5. Distribution Channels
1.5.1. OEM Stores
1.5.2. MNO Stores
1.5.3. Over the Top
1.6. Standards
1.7. Forecasts
1.7.1. Mobile Widget Downloads: Native versus Widget
1.7.2. Mobile Widget Downloads by Category
1.7.3. Mobile Widget Downloads by Region
1.7.4. Mobile Widget Revenue

Section 2.
Conclusions and Recommendations
2.1. Conclusions
2.2. Recommendations
2.2.1. For MNOs, OEMs
2.2.2. For Vendors, Application Developers

Section 3.
Market Issues
3.1. Definitions
3.1.1. Widgets
3.1.2. Native Applications
3.2. Market Opportunity
3.2.1. Widget Advantages
3.2.2. Widget Disadvantages
3.3. Addressable Market
3.3.1. Smartphone users
3.3.2. Feature phone users on 3G networks
3.3.3. Netbooks, Media Tablets, and Connected CE Devices
3.4. Widget Power
3.4.1. HTML 5 and its advantages
3.5. Widgets are good for…
3.6. Widgets are not good for…
3.7. Smartphone Widgets
3.7.1. Middleware Platforms
3.7.2. Platform-specific Widgets
3.7.3. MNO smartphone store -- Vodafone 360
3.8. Feature Phone Widgets
3.8.1. Device versus Network APIs
3.8.2. Platform Providers
3.8.3. OEM Stores
3.8.4. MNO Stores
3.9. Standards Initiatives
3.9.1. Who benefits?
3.9.2. World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Specifications
3.9.3. Open Mobile Terminal Platform/BONDI Initiative
3.9.4. Joint Innovation Lab
3.9.5. Wholesale Application Community (WAC)
3.9.6. Global System for Mobile Communications Association
3.10. Over the Top Widgets
3.10.1. Widgets in Mobile Marketing
3.10.2. Over the Top Widget Challenges
3.11. Alternative Business Models
3.11.1. Interconnect Model
3.11.2. Inter-partner Model
3.12. Impact and Challenges -- Mobile Infrastructure Capacity/Traffic
3.12.1. Effects of Mobile Data Usage on Networks
3.12.2. Backhaul
3.12.3. 3G/4G Coverage/Intermittent Connectivity

Section 4.
Apps for Cellular connected devices
4.1. Overview and Opportunity
4.2. Why Apps?
4.2.1. Barriers
4.2.2. Questions
4.2.3. Netbooks
4.2.4. Media Tablets
4.2.5. MIDs, PMPs, PNDs, Mobile Game Devices, eBook Readers
4.2.6. Conclusions and Recommendations

Section 5.
Technical Issues
5.1. Network Infrastructure Capacity Enablers — Backhaul
5.1.1. Future Outlook and Conclusion
5.2. The Mobile Software Ecosystem
5.2.1. Operating Systems
5.2.2. Mobile Browsers
5.2.3. The Components of the Web Browser
5.2.4. Browser Detection
5.3. Web Programming, Standards
5.3.1. Mobile Web Evolution
5.3.2. Web 2.0
5.3.3. AJAX
5.3.4. JavaScript
5.3.5. HTML 5

Section 6.
Key Industry Players
6.1. Bharti Airtel
6.2. Funambol
6.3. Google
6.4. Handmark
6.5. Kony Solutions
6.6. Netvibes
6.7. Nokia — Novarra
6.8. Snac
6.9. Tarsin Inc

Section 7.
Market Forecasts
7.1. Forecast Methodology
7.2. Revenue Definition
7.3. Market Forecasts
7.3.1. Total Mobile Apps Downloaded, Native versus Widget
7.3.2. Mobile Widgets Downloaded, by Category
7.3.3. Mobile Widgets Downloaded, by Region
7.3.4. Mobile Widgets Downloaded — North America
7.3.5. Mobile Widgets Downloaded — Western Europe
7.3.6. Mobile Widgets Downloaded — Eastern Europe
7.3.7. Mobile Widgets Downloaded — Asia-Pacific
7.3.8. Mobile Widgets Downloaded — Latin America
7.3.9. Mobile Widgets Downloaded — Middle East/Africa
7.3.10. Mobile Widget Revenue, by category
7.3.11. Mobile Widget Revenue, by region

Section 8.
Company Directory

Section 9.
Acronyms
Scope of Study
Sources and Methodology
Notes





Tables
  • Total Mobile Apps Downloaded, Native and Widget, World Market, Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widgets Downloaded, by Category, World Market, Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widgets Downloaded, by Category, North America Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widgets Downloaded, by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widgets Downloaded by Category, Western Europe Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widgets Downloaded by Category, Eastern Europe Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widgets Downloaded by Category, Asia Pacific Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widgets Downloaded by Category, Latin America Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widgets Downloaded by Category, Middle East/Africa Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget/Native Apps Downloaded Market Share, World Market, Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Revenue, by Category, World Market, Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Revenue, by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Revenue, by Category, North America Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Revenue, by Category, Western Europe Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Revenue, by Category, Eastern Europe Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Revenue, by Category, Asia-Pacific Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Revenue, by Category, Latin America Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Revenue, by Category, Middle East/Africa Forecast: 2010 to 2015

Charts
  • 3G/4G Subscribers, by Category, World Market: 2010 to 2015
  • Downloads, Mobile Widget vs. Native, World Market: 2009 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Downloads by Category, World Market: 2009 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Downloads by Region, World Market: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Downloads Revenue by Region, World Market: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Downloads Revenue by Category, World Market: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile App Downloads, Widget vs. Native, World Market: 2010
  • Mobile App Downloads, Widget vs. Native, World Market: 2015
  • Cellular Connected Devices, by Region, World Market: 2015
  • Cellular Connected Devices, World Market: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile Widgets Downloaded by Category, Eastern Europe Forecast: 2010 to 2015
  • Mobile App Downloads, Widget vs. Native, World Market: 2010
  • Downloads, Mobile Widget vs. Native, World Market: 2009 to 2015
  • Mobile Widget Downloads by Category, World Market: 2009 to 2015

Figures
  • W3C Web Applications Working Group (number of members)
  • W3C Widget Specification Contributors (number of members)
  • BONDI Members, as of May 2010