It’s a Mobile Web! We Just Don’t Realize It Yet.

Why do I choose to describe myself as a mobile evangelist in addition to my more practical titles of web developer and strategist? Because it’s a mobile web. Most people just don’t realize it yet.

I understand why people might ignore or dismiss the mobile web. I remember attending Web Visions a few years ago when the theme was digital convergence. I listened to a speaker paint a wonderful vision of mobile devices that were always connected and communicated to our televisions and toasters.

This wonderful mirage would fade the moment I turned on my cell phone. My phone couldn’t talk to my television. I had trouble simply getting news. The much talked about mobile web was a joke.

That was then. This is now. Or if you want to put it in other terms, that was BI (before the iPhone). This is AI—After the iPhone.

Yet, we’ve all heard the siren call of the mobile web for years. It is no wonder that people doubt whether or not the mobile web is for real this time.

That’s why I’m a mobile evangelist. We need more people spreading the word.

I believe that anyone who takes the time to understand these factors

• the total size of the mobile market;
• the rapid growth of the mobile market;
• the similarities between the mobile web now and the early days of web growth; and
• the role the iPhone plays as a harbinger of a new generation of mobile phones

will understand why Eli Harai, CEO of Sandisk, recently said, “Wireless is the mother of all markets.”

And once you understand this to be true, then you start to see the ways that this mobile transformation will challenge your business and the opportunities it presents.

So stay tuned as we take a closer look at each of these factors over the coming days and plan on attending PDX Web Innovators on Wednesday if you want to get more details.