2015 mobile computing trends

Featured article by Jerker Hellstrom

There are now roughly two billion smartphone users in the world, and several hundred million tablet users. Add to that laptops and you get a considerable chunk of the world’s population that is always connected, on the go, everywhere, with their work and private lives in their pockets and handbags. But mobility has side effects… The cracked display is a common sight these days. Due to strong consumer demand, cellphone and computer manufacturers are increasingly launching smartphones and other mobile devices that are rugged, or rather “ruggedish” – more durable but not truly rugged. This trend will continue, among both field professionals and private persons. What is in store for this expansive market segment in 2015?

”First of all, displays will become larger even for rugged mobile computers,” predicts Jerker Hellström, CEO of leading rugged computer maker Handheld. “Just like the sceen size of smartphones for the mass market has increased, so will the displays of rugged computers.  Screen size is the ‘$64,000 question’ in the rugged computer segment – it is a  major consideration for all users but it is also linked to the application and how data and information are presented, both in terms of how it is captured and how it is communicated to the end user.”

Mr. Hellström foresees a stronger demand for maximum screen real-estate in the smallest, lightest possible form factor. He also believes that the durability trend will continue:

”Mobile computers across all market segments are increasingly being manufactured, and marketed, as more durable, more rugged and with higher IP ratings (ingress protection against water and dust). This a function of computers, tablets and smartphones being with us all the time, everywhere. The consumers demand durable devices that can be ”knocked around” a bit!”

”But it has also become a marketing gimmick,” claims Mr. Hellström. ”Some devices are now advertized as having the previously unattainable IP68 rating. But do the customers actually understand it? It actually means nothing unless the manufacturer informs us of the submerged time and depth. I expect a continued upwards ‘IP rating creep’ but also an invigorating discussion about the definition and value of IP ratings and the tests carried out on mobile computers.”

A third strong trend that will continue in 2015 is the increasing interest for Android even in the rugged compter world, according to Jerker Hellström:

“Microsoft Windows Mobile or Windows Embedded has for a long time been the operative system of choice for rugged mobile devices, albeit with increasingly stronger competition from Android. 2015 will be the year when he industry truly embraces Android. The rapid growing of Android consumer phones has standardized the Android user behaviour and generated a spillover effect to the industrial sector. There is an increase of industrial software being developed for Android, boosted by the first generation industrial Android devices. Also, Android can take advantage of powerful multicore CPUs in a way Windows Embedded Handheld has not been able to.”

Jerker Hellstrom