Innovation and New Product Development Case Study

Converged Mobile Devices-Will it Displace the Laptop?

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Abstract:
Convergence in technology has always held an attraction for tech-savvy consumers. In the PC arena, the portability of laptop PCs (notebooks) and Wi-Fi advancements made it so popular that it led to laptops outselling desktop PC's in 2007-2008. Similarly another technological advancement namely the smartphone saw many customers switch from PCs to mobile devices to browse the Internet. These converged mobile devices with their convenient sizes, features and multimedia capabilities, swiftly evolved into lifestyle-oriented gadgets. The smartphone could be used for e-mail, chatting, editing digital pictures, listening to music through MP3s and FM radios, videos, video blogging, on-line gaming and much more. Will this convergence see more laptop users switch to the mobile as a preferred Internet platform? The case study analyses if the smartphone will eventually replace the laptop. On a broader perspective the case study explores the critical success factors of technology convergence.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To comprehend the tech-savvy consumer behaviour.
• To examine usage patterns of laptops and smartphones.
• To analyse if smartphones can eventually replace laptops
• To analyse the critical success factors in convergence of technology.

Keywords :  Laptops, Converged mobiles, Technology convergence, Smartphone, Internet platform, Functional device, Smartphone replacing laptops, Mobile, Connectivity