免費(fèi)短信應(yīng)用敲響傳統(tǒng)短信喪鐘
蘋果iMessage、WhatsApp和Facebook Messenger等移動短信應(yīng)用正不斷侵蝕傳統(tǒng)短信。
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????不是危言聳聽，我們可以肯定地說，短信已經(jīng)來日無多。罪魁禍?zhǔn)资钦l？蘋果（Apple）iMessage以及WhatsApp等一大票應(yīng)用程序。根據(jù)瑞士調(diào)研公司Informa的數(shù)據(jù)，用戶通過應(yīng)用程序發(fā)送的即時信息數(shù)量在2012年首次超過了傳統(tǒng)短信。兩者差距在2013年將進(jìn)一步擴(kuò)大：通過應(yīng)用程序發(fā)送的消息數(shù)將超過500億條，而傳統(tǒng)短信數(shù)只有210億條。 ????雖然美國電話電報公司（AT&T）和威瑞森（Verizon）等運(yùn)營商很早就推出了可無限量發(fā)送短信的高價手機(jī)話費(fèi)套餐，但在很多情況下，短信應(yīng)用程序的優(yōu)勢仍然相當(dāng)明顯，而且它們大都是免費(fèi)的。假如擁有一部iPhone，它的iMessage發(fā)送速度更快而且用戶能知道對方什么時候閱讀了信息。目前大熱的WhatsApp發(fā)布于2009年，支持蘋果、谷歌（Google）Android、Windows Phone和黑莓（BlackBerry）等多個平臺。首席執(zhí)行官楊?庫姆上月早些時候透露，WhatsApp的用戶數(shù)已趕超Twitter，而后者早在去年12月就號稱用戶數(shù)已經(jīng)突破了2億。至于Facebook，由于它的短消息服務(wù)和Facebook平臺關(guān)系緊密，所以Facebook的移動短信業(yè)務(wù)擁有數(shù)量驚人的10億用戶！ ????大受歡迎、簡單便捷、不花一分錢，看來傳統(tǒng)短信業(yè)務(wù)的衰退已經(jīng)不可避免。這對于移動運(yùn)營商來說可謂噩耗，因為它們恰恰就是靠來自無限量短信套餐的利潤來充實(shí)凈收益。來自倫敦的調(diào)研機(jī)構(gòu)Ovum最近研究指出，高速發(fā)展的短信應(yīng)用在2013年將吞噬掉運(yùn)營商326億美元營收，而到2020年，這個數(shù)字更將高達(dá)860億美元。 ????不過，并不是所有人都認(rèn)為傳統(tǒng)短信業(yè)務(wù)已奄奄一息。MessageMe聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人阿均?賽思說：“每天有成百上千萬的智能手機(jī)被激活，聯(lián)入新的應(yīng)用服務(wù)。它意味著兩種短信平臺都有生存空間。”MessageMe也是一款聊天應(yīng)用，用戶能分享圖片、涂鴉、歌曲、視頻和位置信息。它從安德森?霍洛維茨基金（Andreessen Horowitz）、格雷洛克基金（Greylock）和谷歌投資（Google Ventures）等公司獲得了190萬美元投資。MessageMe自3月發(fā)布以來，僅用了短短一周的時間就發(fā)展了100多萬用戶。 ????所以，即便短信業(yè)務(wù)不會完全消失，它也會像語音業(yè)務(wù)一樣不斷猥瑣，再也找不回當(dāng)年移動通信時代的霸主地位。（財富中文網(wǎng)） ????譯者：項航 |
????It's been said before, but it's now official: SMS texting's days are numbered. The culprit? Messaging apps like Apple (AAPL) iMessage and WhatsApp. According to Switzerland-based firm Informa, 2012 marked the first year mobile users sent more messages over these kinds of apps than traditional text. By next year, the difference will be vast: 50 billion messages tapped out by way of chat apps versus just 21 billion texts. ????Though carriers like AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) have long since offered cell phone plans with unlimited texts for a premium, messaging apps offer a better alternative in many cases, often for free. Own an iPhone? iMessaging transmits faster and offers the added optional benefit of letting users see when their message has been read. Launched in 2009, WhatsApp works on Apple, Google (GOOG) Android, Windows (MSFT) Phone and BlackBerry (BBRY) devices. The app is so popular, WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum revealed earlier this month it has more users than Twitter, which reported 200 million-plus members last December. And because Facebook (FB) and its messaging service are so deeply intertwined, its mobile messaging platform benefits from a built-in membership 1 billion-strong. ????Given the popularity, convenience, and cost savings of free services, it seems inevitable text messaging should take a hit. That's bad news for mobile carriers, who pad their bottom lines with the profits from unlimited text plans. According to a recent study by London-based research firm Ovum, the rise of messaging apps will cost them $32.6 billion of lost revenue in 2013 and as much as $86 billion come 2020. ????Not everyone is convinced, however, that SMS texting is on life support. "Millions of smart phone devices are being activated daily and connecting to new app services. That means there is room for both messaging platforms," explains Arjun Sethi, co-founder of MessageMe, a chat app that lets users also share photos, doodles, songs, videos, and their location. With $1.9 million in funding from backers like Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock, and Google Ventures, MessageMe rolled out last month and picked up 1 million users after just one week. ????So while text messaging may not disappear entirely, it means, just like the decline of voice usage, that it won't be the dominant form of communication it used to be. |
