Software Testing Blog

Think optimizing for mobile web isn’t important? Think again! This was reported by PCWorld:

Tablet computers will eventually replace laptops, according to nearly half of Americans polled earlier this month.

But don’t panic yet …

Of course, “eventually” is a very long time, and the recent rollout of Amazon’s Kindle Fire and anticipation over the Apple iPad 3 might have survey takers overreaching a bit.

While the Poll Position phone survey of 1,155 registered voters found great enthusiasm for tablet computers, with 46% saying tablets would surpass laptops eventually, 35% said tablets will not replace laptops and 19% had no opinion.

Among younger Americans (18-29 age group), 49% said tablets will not replace the PC and 37% said they will. A higher percentage of men (53%) than women (39%) foresee tablets overtaking laptops.

The tablet market was hot last year and is expected to remain so this year. IDC recently said it expected 2011 worldwide tablet shipments to total more than 63 million units, with Apple selling about 6 in 10 of those. Recent Canalys figures show a total PC market of 356 million units in 2011, minus tablets.

While those numbers don’t point overwhelmingly in one direction or the other, it is food for thought. Plus, the prevalence of tablets (and mobile devices in general) has crept into quite a few 2012 predictions in the past few months, including this excerpt from Boston.com’s Global Business Hub:

Mobile and Tablet: Leapfrogging

In 2010, for the first time in the history of computing, tablet sales have surpassed desktop sales. Yet many companies continue to channel most of their investment into their web presence, continuing to think of their mobile and tablet use as an adjunct nicety. Expect that to change in 2012. The savviest of marketers will also know how to appeal to the untethered consumer. They will harness geo-localization technologies (Foursquare-style check-ins and soon even walk-bys) for customized offers, better use QR codes to gather data and link to in-store experiences. And outside of the US, mobile is increasingly playing a larger role as is mobile use is often stronger, with wireless technology often superior to older line-bound networks.

If you’re considering creating a mobile app or a mobile website (and you probably should at least consider it), don’t forget that mobile versions shouldn’t just be carbon copies of your desktop-based site/software. People are constantly on-the-go and increasingly expect their apps to know where they are and adjust accordingly. If your site/software is something that can be adapted to fit constantly changing environments and you want to jump into the local-mobile offers game, make sure you do it correctly with in-the-wild localization testing. Here’s why (again from Boston.com):

Internationalization and Localization: Relevance Rules

While in theory the internet has no borders, few companies know how to effectively garner and cultivate an international audience effectively. Expect that to change in 2012. Data shows that brands with localized web and social media presence enjoy far greater engagement and brand buzz. But the distinction between internationalization and localization is an important one. Successful localization efforts go far beyond language translation alone. They create and encourage content that is relevant to the local audience. Expect companies to pay more attention to the other 88% of internet users that don’t live in the US.