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[2001-10-11] Is M-Commerce in our Immediate Future?
WAP (wireless application protocol) and other forms of m-commerce applications are being touted as the new revolutions in communications and e-commerce. The companies supporting it, however, are the same ones who brought us the Internet revolution; remember that? We were promised that e-commerce would dramatically change the way are we work, shop, and play. Has it? No. Will it? Possibly, but only when it is more convenient, efficient, and useful to shop the Internet than to use traditional means. This requires usability, reliability, and most of all, fast connections, to be better than what we are used to. If the Internet were as easy to surf as cable, for instance, e-commerce would be immensely more popular. However, developing the infrastructure to accomplish this is too costly and time consuming, as many upstart telecoms will attest to.
WAP (wireless application protocol) and other forms of m-commerce applications are being touted as the new revolutions in communications and e-commerce. The companies supporting it, however, are the same ones who brought us the Internet revolution; remember that? We were promised that e-commerce would dramatically change the way are we work, shop, and play. Has it? No. Will it? Possibly, but only when it is more convenient, efficient, and useful to shop the Internet than to use traditional means. This requires usability, reliability, and most of all, fast connections, to be better than what we are used to. If the Internet were as easy to surf as cable, for instance, e-commerce would be immensely more popular. However, developing the infrastructure to accomplish this is too costly and time consuming, as many upstart telecoms will attest to.