Interview with Martin Wilson, Head of Yell.com mobile marketing
Last week I spoke to Martin Wilson, Head of Yell.com mobile marketing, about the coming iPhone, how it will fit into the UK mobile space, and how his mobile service might fare when the might of Google arrives on it.
Martin talked about the challenges facing Apple as they enter the mobile marketplace, but was impressed at the amount of 'buzz' that Apple had managed to create - most of it by fans and journalists - before the iPhone even launched.
He also said that it would be interesting to see how Nokia, Motorola, and the other big mobile players, respond to the iPhone as it rolls out in Europe.
Martin spoke about how important it was for Apple to respond to and iron out problems with the first iPhone as soon as they occurred. He also noted the issue surrounding battery replacement, and how with an average 400 charges, as cited by Apple, owners may need to have the battery changed in little over a year's time.
He also said that, if the iPhone arrives with the same specifications as that launched in the US, then it will be interesting to see how it settles in the UK mobile space, given that many handsets now are both 3G, and open, so that third-party developers can easily add new software.
However, he understood why Apple chose to protect the device by keeping it fairly closed to begin with. He believes that, over time, this wall around the iPhone will come down, particularly in Europe.
I asked whether Martin thought that Apple should release a 3G iPhone in Europe straight away. Long term, 3G is almost essential, particularly for the ability to stream multimedia via services such as YouTube. As has already been seen with the EDGE network in the US, most won't be prepared to use the Internet for rich media applications over a slower, GPRS network. There's also the issue of faster battery usage on 3G devices.
Having said that, Yell's own service shouldn't be adversely affected by this. Martin described them as "a narrowband provider in a broadband world", with their service not currently relying on rich media to function.
Martin believes that the iPhone will encourage mobile Internet usage for the mass market.
However, converged devices aren't necessarily for everyone - break your iPhone or N95 or other smartphone, and you lose your phone, MP3 player, and life organiser all in one go.
Martin acknowledged Apple's amazing record of iPod development, and believes that it will be the same with the iPhone.
I asked whether Apple might suffer because the number of iPhone variations they put out will be significantly lower than that of larger mobile manufacturers.
Martin said that Apple are initially aiming for 1% of the total mobile market, around 10 million handsets, and that there's a lot of space in the market, particularly given that at present Apple are aiming at the 'prosumer' market - a niche segment of those with large disposable income.
He believes that Apple will continue to push to be innovative, and thus stay ahead of larger competitors who are likely to copy elements of the iPhone for their own models.
I then asked whether Google Maps, which will bundle with the iPhone, was likely to pose a threat to Yell.com's online service.
Martin responded that Yell.com has a lot of specific local knowledge, and a comprehensive business data set, that Google doesn't. Their business is focused on allowing people to find a specific set of information in a structured way, such as finding the phone number of a local restaurant. Google is unlikely to be able to offer the same experience, as they don't have the same local relationships with UK business.
Online mapping is an exciting, and Yell.com are looking into their own mapping service, taking their product to the next level.
Asking about any final thoughts on the iPhone, Martin said that Apple need to continue to do what they excel at - getting their product to work straight away 'out of the box'.
Now we're just waiting to get hold of one.
Martin Wilson is the Head of Mobile Marketing at Yell.com. Yell's mobile application and Internet site provides full access to Yell's listings, while also keeping track of regular requests, providing an auto-suggest function, and letting users ‘click to call’ businesses. It also provides zoomable maps, and lets users save info to their Contacts, or send it to friends via SMS. We covered the service launch here.
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