With all the challenges minorities face in this country with broadband adoption, we still outpace other demographics when it comes to adoption in the mobile space. There are numerous reasons for this from portability and lack of computer ownership to the multitude of options from major carriers to prepay services like Virgin mobile and Boost mobile. Regardless of the reason minorities are leading the surge and not just in basic mobile services but in the cutting edge areas such as mobile video.
So with the apparent demand in this space the question still remains why is there still such a lack of content and applications available that’s relevant to this audience? In the Apple store, and Android marketplace you would be hard pressed to find options there that are geared to minorities, especially African Americans and Hispanics. Some of the larger media outlets that appeal to these audiences have “stuck their toes in the water” in terms of their attempts to establish a presence on these platforms but nothing to show a firm commitment to providing relevant services to their audiences on these platforms on a consistent basis.
So the question I pose is will that change the 2011? I’ve been telling people that 2011 will be the year of the iPad with it being the hot gift of the holiday season but with iPhone sales still surging and carriers essentially giving android phones away the market will only get bigger in 2011. Will media companies and app developers see this opportunity and start to provide apps and relevant content for this audience? The impact on not only existing communities online would be significant, not to mention the ability to draw more people who have not adopted broadband with the appeal of relevant offerings. With the opportunity so big and the stakes so high, who do you think will take the lead in 2011? Let me know your thoughts?
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