Briefly referenced in the previous post is a column I wrote for Local Search News on mobile local search. This is the basis for a TKG report currently in the works. Here is the column itself, which continues after the jump:

If you go by the predictions heard during the last ten years of industry conferences, mobile search’s tipping point is perpetually 18 months away. But now we’re in a stronger position than ever, thanks to quickly evolving device standards and open source mobile platforms that welcome third party innovation.

This of course was ushered in with the iPhone, but will continue with a second wave of devices and the continued death of the carrier-controlled environment that has caused a sub-par set of products to dominate the market over the last 10 years.

And though the iPhone only represents about one percent of the global cell phone market, sales have been ramping up quickly. It’s now the top selling cell phone in the U.S. according to NPD group (beating out the Motorola RAZR V3) with 6.9 million phones sold last quarter.

This trend will continue as prices drop and as it becomes more of a mass market device. A big step was taken in this direction this week when iPhones began selling in 2500 nationwide Walmart stores.

(read more…)