This is a single archived entry from Stefan Tilkov’s blog. For more up-to-date content, check out my author page at INNOQ, which has more information about me and also contains a list of published talks, podcasts, and articles. Or you can check out the full archive.

Cell Phone Software: The Billion-Dollar Sand Trap

Stefan Tilkov,

Alex Krupp:

We all know the advantages: Everyone owns one. We all know how to use them. Women love them and they fit nicely into a pocket. Did I mention they do wireless?

Cell phones seem like the obvious platform for the next generation of billion-dollar startups. But they’re not.

Hundreds of web entrepreneurs have gone into mobile. How many successes can you name?

That’s what I thought.

What follows is an explanation of why creating a successful mobile-wireless software startup is not just improbable, but impossible.

Interesting perspective on the mobile phone application market [via Gernot]