Mobile Devices To Shake Things Up In The Search Market
More and more people around the world (especially the West) are switching from PC’s and laptops to mobile phones and PDA’s as their preferred medium of internet access. It’s a logical progression considering that handheld devices are becoming more and more powerful and will one day replace desktop devices all together. This is the reason that search biggies like Google, Yahoo and Bing are slugging it out for a bigger slice of the search market pie.
Google has already proved that it is the undisputed champion of the mobile search arena. This dominance may remain unchallenged for quite some time. But, with smartphone companies striking exclusive deals with search providers, the competition has already begun snapping at its heals.
Microsoft are slated to launch new Windows phones that will have Bing as the default search engine. AT&T has confirmed that its latest smartphone offering, the Motorola BackFlip, will come with Yahoo as it’s default search engine. This doesn’t mean that users can’t use their preferred search engines. But preference may take a back seat when it comes to convenience. A user would rather click on search than enter a specific URL.
In such a scenario, the popularity of the devices may eventually dictate how popular a particular search engine is. Currently, the most popular of the handheld devices, the Apple IPhone, has Google as it’s default search engine. But, there are many new challengers for the IPhone’s crown. The Android based offerings from a large number of manufacturers are posing a serious threat to the IPhone’s dominance.
One thing is for certain. The future belongs to mobile search and handheld devices. Search companies need to focus on this trend and adapt if they have to survive. This also provides an oppurtunity for companies like Microsoft and Yahoo to eat into Google’s marketshare and sheer dominance. Google better watch out!
Do you think that mobile search may overshadow traditional search in the near future? Post you comments.
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