Looking to hire IT staff?

Today, despite the number of smartphones purchased, there really are only a handful of companies that produce them. Most of the manufacturing is done in Asia, from parts sourced from all over the world. The modern smartphone features near-ubiquitous connectivity, desktop-like processing power, and enough storage to facilitate the millions of applications that are constantly being developed for the two main OSs, Android and iOS. 

The most expensive and feature-rich smartphones feature microphones and speakers that are protected from water and sand, multiple cameras that are capable of capturing 4K video, and batteries that last longer than ever. These manufacturers are creating these wonderful devices at a time when smartphone demand is shrinking. Devices are built well and are therefore lasting longer, and users aren’t looking to upgrade to the newest model every fiscal year anymore. Despite being nearly a $500 billion industry, it has seen some dramatic shifts in a small window of time. 

Smartphone Markets

Looking at the global smartphone market will show that there are only six manufacturers with a current market share of at least eight percent. They are Samsung, Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo. Most of these manufacturers do most of their damage in the Asian markets. In the U.S., which is currently the third-largest smartphone market, Apple has a 41 percent market share, followed by Samsung at 21 percent. After those two, only Korean manufacturer LG has more than 10 percent of the U.S. market. 

Things are basically the same in much of the English-speaking world. In the UK and Australia, Apple currently has 49 percent and 55 percent of the market share, respectively. Samsung, still a major player, is a distant second with 29 percent and 22 percent, respectively. In Europe, Samsung's market share dwarfs Apple’s. Overall there are over 1.5 billion smartphones shipped every year for a market that is now at nearly three billion people. 

82 percent of people in the UK and 77 percent of Americans now own one. Predictably, China is actually the largest smartphone market with nearly 850 million smartphone owners. Conversely, there are some places where smartphone adoption hasn’t reached high percentages. Despite having nearly 1.4 billion people, and having the second-most smartphone users (>340 million) the smartphone ownership rate in India is only around 28 percent. Other potential growth markets include Indonesia (27 percent), Pakistan (14 percent), and several coastal Aftrican nations (6-to-13 percent).

Innovation of the Modern Smartphone

The average person would pinpoint Steve Jobs as the inventor of the smartphone. There are several organizations, including Microsoft, that could deny that claim. Apple’s 2007 launch of the first iPhone is looked upon as the seminal smartphone. From there, the smartphone - and the software needed to make these devices a success - have grown exponentially.

The innovation of technology has been a major driving force in pushing the use of devices. As we stated earlier billions of people actively use (and periodically purchase) smartphones and they are always looking for new ways to use their devices. So, while the fundamental technologies found inside these devices have been pretty static, any new tools, and improved specifications show up on all manufacturer flagships eventually. 

The best smartphones are the best because they can do the most, including: play games, cast a desktop experience to a thin client, and work with thousands of other devices to be the central hub to a smart life. Let’s take a look at the technology found in these devices. 

Displays

The durability of today’s flagship smartphones is in itself a marvel. Mostly made out of glass, they are stronger and more resilient to trauma than ever. The resolutions on the devices are substantially better than previous phones. Most major flagship smartphones come with displays that feature pixel densities approaching 500 pixels per square inch. 

Processing

More smartphone makers are investing in creating mobile chipsets. This has led to mobile chip innovation that has improved chips to the limit of production. Today, most manufacturers are advancing a 7nm chip. Some of the top chips available right now are Apple’s A13 Bionic, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855+, Huawei’s Kirin 990 5G, and Samsung’s Exynos 9825.

Camera

Well, we should say cameras, plural. Every flagship smartphone, and many budget ones have multiple cameras nowadays. People want to capture their experiences, and with today's smartphones they have a multitude of options from super wide-angle lenses to telephoto zoom lenses that zoom up to 40x. 

Batteries

There has been a substantial improvement in the batteries found in high-end smartphones. Their general design hasn’t changed much over the past several years, but they are certainly degrading less quickly and lasting longer, with the goal of having a smartphone battery last a full day hopefully coming to fruition soon. 

Software

There are two major mobile operating systems: Android or iOS. Obviously, there are some other OS options, as well as some manufacturer-specific software that put a proprietary software “skin” over Android to let the user feel like they are using a new OS. 

Currently, Apple’s iOS is seen as the best mobile OS, but since it is only found on Apple products exclusively less products actually run iOS than Android 9.0 Pie, which is found on many manufacturers’ flagship devices.

Smartphones, and most mobile devices, run on apps. Currently, there are several app stores, of which Google Play or the Apple App store are the most utilized. There are literally millions of productivity apps, lifestyle apps, retail apps, and games on each of the major app stores. 

Security

Mobile security is a larger consideration today than ever before. This is especially true for those companies that are trying to use their employee’s devices for their own benefit. Google and Apple are doing more to build OS-based security options and have made some decent headway. With the number of threats growing day-to-day, a multi-hundred-billion-dollar industry has popped up with the goal of securing devices and mobile data. Samsung, being the most utilized mobile device manufacturer in the world has started their own initiative to bring security to the forefront with their Samsung Knox tools.

Form Factor

Innovations in OLED technology are changing the entire way manufacturers are designing devices. Typically, the smartphone’s form factor has only shifted in the use of screen real estate. That is, manufacturers have moved the cameras around and removed bezels to give users the most usable space on its display. With advances in OLED technology, however, companies are able to create foldable devices that both provide more usable display space while also improving device security. Only time will tell how these devices do on the open market, however. 

To learn more about the smartphone, including features, new form factors, and how they can work as a major productivity tool for your business, call the professionals at Digital Seattle today at (206) 709-9556.

I used to be a sales manager, taught in the classic, old school approach. Basically, I just got to know my clients really well so I could always talk to them about something. Wishing them a happy birthday, finding out how their youngest did during his baseball game, I had a pretty comprehensive well of topics I could pull from. This let me keep a pretty detailed record of people and their interactions with me that allowed me to really make connections with them.

My dad used to moonlight as a rental property manager on top of his full-time position, and that really inspired me. I slowly saved up my money until I could buy the duplex I lived in, and from there, I was hooked.

That first investment grew into a business that supports my family and my staff. All of the processes of managing properties (things like collecting rent, paying taxes, handling payroll, managing utilities, and maintaining the rental spaces) mean that I rely on logistics quite a bit to accomplish it all.

My dad taught me two things that I have really taken to heart: Measure twice, cut once, and to do as much as I could, and let the experts do what I couldn’t.

The second lesson was really helpful when I was first equipping my rental properties. I like to think my places are pretty nice, so they feature things like quality Wi-Fi connections, smart locks, and other things that need a little bit of management. The commercial properties I have are equipped with even more of these kinds of things. All of this tech needs a lot of horsepower, so to speak, so I have a pretty hefty setup at my main office. I also need my technology to help me keep track of who my tenants are, the documentation they’ve given me and the stuff I have to keep, as well as to manage my employees the way I need to.

Now, I can’t do very much at all with a computer unless it’s something I use it for every day, so I listened to my old man’s advice and called a reputable IT company. They came in, set everything up, and when they recommended a backup system, I approved it. The IT company set everything up, taught my office manager to use it and how files could be restored, and even stopped in a month later to check in.

This was all great, and we went along with our business for a few years after that.

Then, we got slammed from all sides. A few tenants were moving out, there were some maintenance concerns that we were dealing with, it was the middle of tax season, and the office manager who knew how everything worked had just left for a much-deserved cruise with his family.

Of course, it was then that the software we rely on for pretty much everything - internal communication, payroll, and scheduling - it just stopped working, and our data was all messed up.

Nobody could figure out what to do, and I finally had to make the very expensive call to my office manager, who was kind enough to spring for the cruise ship’s cellular service in case something happened. That got us to the backup to restore from it. We had also left a message with the IT company.

It was a good thing we did, too, because when the restore was finished, we were still dealing with bad data. We tried again - same thing.

When we managed to get in touch with the company, they told us that some software change had messed up how data was stored in the backup, so while everything else was fine, that one software just stopped being backed up.

This was important stuff - like, the kind that it would have taken a HUGE amount of work and time to even get back to our normal business functions. Plus, we would still have to go back and ask all of our tenants for their sensitive information again. How would that have looked?

The worst part? We knew about the issue when the software was updated - we just never connected it to our backup.

Somehow, after a lot of stress and a pretty big bill, our data was recovered and we could get back to work. Frankly, while it was a really expensive process, I still look at it as a bargain.

However, with a few better practices, we could have avoided the entire issue. That’s why we’re now sure to test our backup at least once a month. A few hours gives me the peace of mind that my business won’t be thrown in jeopardy again. Basically, we just see if we can operate using only what’s on the backup.

These evaluations have already caught a few additional issues, so we’re already seeing the benefits. Make sure you’re backing up your data, and make sure you’re testing them!

We appreciate having this story to share with you, as it raises an important point. Your network is going to change as time passes, so you need to make sure that it is still working as intended. A secure network hosting an insecure application is effectively no longer a secure network. You can view your backups in the same way.

We test all the backups we maintain in a similar way. After all, if a backup doesn’t deliver what you need, it isn’t going to help you much when you need it.

Digital Seattle can help you avoid this kind of issue, and many others, from impacting your business. Learn more by reaching out at (206) 709-9556.

College was a pretty great time for me, so I have a lot of good memories of it. Of course, they weren’t all great... One memory in particular still bothers me a little: when I almost failed in sophomore year because my computer went bad.

I went to college to study journalism, so there was a lot of writing involved. So much so, that my Dad surprised me before I started my second year with a computer for my dorm room so I could write and edit my copy in peace. The student computers on campus were a little ways from the dorm, so it was nice not to have to hike across campus by myself.

Sophomore year started wonderfully - I wrote a few articles for the student paper each week, and I got some of my general studies courses out of the way so I could focus on professional development during my later years. I even went abroad for a few weeks on a mission trip that fall, and had assembled quite a photo album with the digital camera I had bought for the occasion.

However, toward the end of that first semester, everything went wrong, all at once.

I had heard I should keep up a backup, but I really didn't think I'd have a problem. My Dad had just bought me this new computer just before the semester started, so everything was updated and new. I had a copy of *most* of my files when I moved them over to the new computer, so I figured I was in good shape for a while.

Then, just before Thanksgiving, I was in a bit of a rush. My roommate had already taken care of everything she had to and was pretty much just waiting to go home for the holiday - she just had a few more classes to attend. 

I, on the other hand, was swamped - I wanted to get a few assignments started before break so I wouldn’t have to play catch-up after, and I had bitten off more than I could chew. 

I had to make sure I would have enough time to write everything that the paper would need after break, so I was trying to get a head start on some projects I knew were coming up. One was a research paper for the global history course I was taking. 

Knowing full well that very few college students would work on a research paper before a break, the professor had literally had us drawn our topics from a hat. I had pulled… the Hussite Wars, I think... and I had already put together an outline for this paper to be built around. This thing was supposed to be pretty hefty, with a full bibliography, according to our professor.

So there I was, typing away as my roommate watched Miss Congeniality for the third time that week. Just as Sandra Bullock was teaching self-defense using the SING technique, my computer started making weird sounds, and suddenly the screen went blank.

After a moment of shock, I started to panic. I had just put in hours and hours of work on this paper, and it was suddenly gone. Then I looked closer - everything was gone. All of my files, all of my work - everything… including the pictures I had taken during my trip.

My heart was broken, and my gut felt like it was filled with concrete.

It was late at night, so campus IT services had already gone home. I couldn’t sleep a wink, and the first thing I did in the morning was to haul my computer over to the IT service desk. They looked it over, and found that there was, unfortunately, nothing they could do to restore my files, although they got the computer working again.

I went home for break pretty stressed out - not only had I essentially wasted a ton of time on work that I was going to have to redo, I didn’t have all of the pictures that I had from my trip - those were what really hurt to lose. That’s why I was so happy when my Dad reminded me that I had already made him a CD of all the pictures I had taken, and he made me a copy to bring back.

The next few weeks were miserable, as I basically had to stay up all hours to get everything done. Somehow, I managed. I have since learned my lesson, and when working on an assignment, I ALWAYS keep a backup - although I don’t use a CD anymore.

What We Can Do Better

To protect your business’ data, you should always have more than one copy of it saved, and these copies should be kept in separate locations. While you should be taking multiple backups a day, it is best if they run continuously, ensuring that the most work you would lose would amount to just a few minutes.

We want to thank our contributor today, and remind you that Digital Seattle can assist your company with its data backup and continuity needs. Reach out at (206) 709-9556 to learn more about our solutions!