The Fifth Wave... The Mobile Internet - 27 Aug 10 by gins

Last fall, Morgan Stanley released a seminal report on the state of the mobile internet (link), providing observations on market growth and opportunities, key vendors, and technology trends.

One of the key conclusions was the potential size of the mobile internet, an order of magnitude greater than what we call the desktop internet of PCs, laptops, and Ethernet. I expanded upon this and termed it the 'Fifth Wave,' an opportunity of risk & reward over the next decade beyond anything those of us in the industry have yet experienced.

In this summer of the iPhone 4, Android, and the iPad, I'm more convinced than ever that the future of the internet, both social and enterprise, is mobile. A diversity of form factors, evolving user expectations, and an 'untethered' generation entering the mainstream will fundamentally change where, when, how, and on what devices we consume content and conduct our everyday business.

More in the coming weeks....

I've included additional slides for background, including estimates of the total mobile market opportunity, growth of the 'i' ecosystem as of last fall, and the original four-phase diagram.