Chapter 1. The Smartphone is the New PC

The mobile phone is the new personal computer. The desktop computer is not going away, but the smartphone market is growing fast. Phones are being used as computers by more people and for more purposes. Smartphones are generally cheaper than computers, more convenient because of their portability, and often more useful with the context provided by geolocation.

Already there are more mobile phones than computers connected to the Internet. While a minority of those phones would be considered smartphones, we're seeing a fast-moving landscape where today's high-end phones become next year's mid-range or even low-end phones. With profits from applications growing, we'll see continued subsidies of the hardware and operating systems by manufacturers and carriers, keeping new phones cheap or free.