Inside the crystal ball: mobile predictions for 2015

(BPT) - Mobile has certainly come a long way to help connect people with loved ones, improve productivity and simplify daily tasks – with simple swipes or taps, they can instantly locate the best restaurants in town or get directions from point A to point B among other game-changing benefits. But it doesn’t just end there. In 2015, significant developments in the mobile space will empower people to do even more with their devices.

Intel executives predict these top five trends will emerge across mobility in the new year.

1. LTE will take 2015 by storm.

“People are used to associating LTE with their smartphones, but in 2015, LTE technology is going to connect more than just mobile devices. We’ll not only see LTE in 2 in 1s and laptops, but in other categories including fashion, wearables, home appliances and medical devices. More cars will be connected on LTE. This will give a new meaning to the connected lifestyle and change the way people interact with their technology,” says Hermann Eul, Intel’s corporate vice president of the mobile and communications group. “More regions around the world will begin launching LTE to help people more quickly access data on their phones and increase cellular reliability.”

According to the Global Mobile Suppliers Association, 331 operators have launched LTE networks and service in 112 countries, which is more than half of the world.

2. Focusing on 5G in 2015.

“The clock is ticking on 5G deployment, and 2015 is the year 5G starts to get real, as the mobile and wireless industry moves from concepts to actual technology trials and standards development. Designed with billions of connected Internet of Things devices in mind, 5G will be tasked with resolving a slew of new challenges like network congestion, spectrum availability, energy efficiency, cost, reliability and more. Put simply, it’s no longer only about speed, but about intelligence, and how people can connect with a high influx of devices and how devices can connect and compute with one another. We’ll start to see 5G coming into focus in 2015,” says Aicha Evans, Intel’s vice president of wireless platform research and development.

3. Emerging markets will dominate mobile.

“Emerging markets will be a key driver for global smartphone growth in 2015. There is a lot of competition among original equipment manufacturers (OEMS) in the emerging markets. More importantly, this growth and competition will push innovations forward at lower price points with more interesting capabilities and features built into smartphones and tablets,” says Rupal Shah, general manager of Intel China. “We’re already seeing skyrocketing growth from Chinese smartphone manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Lenovo, and this trend is not slowing down anytime soon. People will be getting more value from their devices.”

In fact, CCS saw that the average selling price of mobile phones declined for the first time in four years in 2014. Additionally, Strategy Analytics predicts there will be a 158 percent growth in tablets under $150 and only a 17 percent growth in tablets in the $150 - $249 price point in the next four years.

4. One size does not fit all.

Consumers will see more choices when it comes to screen size, price point and new tablet capabilities in 2015. Whether they are more comfortable with Windows or Android operating systems, there will be a tablet for everyone with great performance. “One thing we’re seeing in the tablet market is how it is fulfilling more specific needs as more people have integrated tablets into their lives and adopted them so widely,” says Chris Walker, Intel’s general manager of tablets. “Now it is about more customized devices that address specific usage needs such as the Kurio tablet for kids or the tablet we developed with AARP for the ‘tech-shy’, as well as devices that can appeal to a wide variety of uses.”

5. Do and play differently with a new generation of tablets.

As tablets evolve, innovation will drive new user experience and adoption in tablets. For example, the Dell Venue 8 7000 Series Tablet with Intel(R) RealSense(TM) snapshot has multiple cameras to capture photos with full depth information, enabling consumers to dynamically change the focus of their pictures after they have been taken with a single touch, among other exciting new usages. The Lenovo Yoga Tablet Pro 2 tablet comes in a very sleek design that has an enhanced kickstand or hangs on a hook, and it’s also the first of its kind with an integrated projector that can project a 50-inch viewing screen. “2014 has been a great year and 2015 is shaping up to be exciting as well. We are pleased with the partnerships and products that have come out as a result of our efforts and there are some exciting, innovative features and tablets on the horizon,” says Walker.