With the improvements in communication technologies and the increased need for mobile communication among users, the mobile communication industry has been faced with fast-paced developments in the last few decades. The developments in mobile communication technologies provide opportunities that cannot be provided by traditional communication tools. Mobile applications are considered examples of such opportunities. The services offered by mobile phone technologies are diversified by the mobile applications that can be downloaded through digital platforms, and with these applications smart-phone users become even more active users. The current chapter reports findings from a study that employed a structured online questionnaire with 271 smart-phone users. The findings revealed that mobile application use, either free or paid, is explained by the period of smart-phone use, attitudes toward mobile applications, financial cost, and opinion leadership. Furthermore, free applications are more frequently used when the innovativeness increases and the perceived application cost decreases. The results present important outcomes for mobile companies, the digital platform providers, as well as mobile application producers.
Research on the Brand Diffusion of the China Mobile Communication Industry Based on the Innovation Diffusion Theory
