The mobile and tablet revolution continues apace and two developments have caught my eye in recent days.

Last week Apple sent out invitations for what’s widely speculated to be the launch of the iPad mini – a smaller version of its bestselling tablet computer. The digital cards’ text read: “We’ve got a little more to show you.” and rumors suggest the new model will feature a display that’s 7” – 8” (approx 20cm) in size. The announcement represents an about-turn for Apple and a rare misjudgment by Steve Jobs who’d previously declared that a 7” tablet would be “DOA”.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Asus’s Google-branded Nexus 7 have already proved popular with users and it’s clear there’s a huge demand from consumers for a tablet they can hold with one hand. As an agency it’s equally important that we respond to this demand for information in smaller, easier to browse and more interactive formats and we’ve already put forward detailed proposals for digital brochures for several of our clients. With major advancements in software (as well as hardware) these are now much faster and more cost-effective to produce from existing brochure artwork.

Shipments of tablets worldwide are predicted to grow from 19.5 million units in 2010 to 124.8 million units in 2014, a compound annual growth rate of 45%. This insatiable appetite for information on the move is mirrored in the mobile market. When we recently developed a mobile version of our own website we uncovered some thought provoking statistics:

• By 2013, more people will use mobile phones than PCs to go online.
• Mobile searches have grown by 400% since 2010.
• By 2015 there’ll be one mobile device for every person on earth.

So it was no surprise to hear that the BBC has announced that it will launch iPlayer Radio as it attempts to revamp its online audio content including mobile. The new service will see audio content taken out of the existing BBC iPlayer and offered as part of a separate service. An iPhone app is to be launched soon with apps for other devices in development.

BBC iPlayer Radio is the platform on which we will develop radio stations as fully multimedia brands so that as well as listen, audiences will be able to watch, share and engage with BBC radio,” said Mark Friend, controller of multiplatform and interactive for the BBC’s Audio & Music division. “Our next steps will be to make live radio more interactive, make it easier for people to enjoy the BBC’s vast audio archive and strengthen radio’s position as the number one place for discovering music in the UK.

When we developed our own mobile site we invested considerably in understanding consumer behaviour and how sites can intuitively react with different mobile devices. We’d be delighted to share it with you. In the meantime, next time your creative team or agency comes to you with a big idea, ask them if it’s also capable of being small and interactive.