Mobile Needs to Change

摘要

Suppose you had to choose between your "sit-down" computer (such as a laptop) and your smartphone. I think I know what most of us would keep. Smartphones have become indispensable. They have also become status symbols - the cachet of certain brands and models of mobile products is matched only by designer clothing, cars and a few other types of goods. Naturally, a product that we've decided we can't do without is going to be profitable for its maker. Unsurprisingly, the tech company with the largest market cap, Apple, derives its largest revenue stream from two mobile devices: the iPhone and the iPad. Nonetheless, mobile is a dysfunctional industry.