The 4-Screen Strategy – A Primer

All the latest development in the consumer electronics category seems to be focused in four areas – Smart TVs, tablets, PCs and Smartphones. The signals are all around us – for example, the slew of Smart TV launches and the unprecedented marketing push, or the hugely active tablet market – which is seeing high profile launches by the week. If you have already realized that too, you are witnessing another important technical development of the post-PC era in the making – the emergence of the Four-Screen Strategy.

You might have already figured out what the four screens belong to; these four screens refer to the four devices that are likely to find the most use in the near future, and become the center of the daily information exchange and entertainment consumption. And these four devices are – your Smart TV, Tablet, PC and smartphone.

Rationale for 4-Screens

The traditional computing is changing – as I have mentioned in my previous posts. There is now a growing migration of the computing tasks - from the desktop (and even laptop) PCs to mobile devices – tablets and smartphones. Moreover, some of the tasks performed on PCs – such as social networking or casual gaming, for example – are also moving to a different medium – Smart TVs.

The primary reason of this migration away from PC is not that the PC technology is lagging behind or computers are not sufficiently developed. On the contrary – the PC technology is getting the full benefit of Moore’s Law – and computers are more powerful and capable than ever before. Yet, users are moving away from PCs simply because mobile devices – tablets and smartphones – provide convenience and mobility – and the ability to carry on a number of stock tasks – browsing, social networking, streaming and sharing media files, e-mail and even casual gaming – on a smaller, simpler device. Plus, the emergence of Android and Apple iOS, and the related app ecosystem and the attendant convenience is also something that people have adopted with great gusto, further strengthening the case for mobile devices.

Therefore it is no surprise that some of the technological leaders – Apple, Google, Sony, Samsung, Lenovo et al – have taken a lead in evolving the 4-screen strategy, and are refining the approach with the introduction of every new device – that is eventually leading towards the goal. Let us a take a bird’s eye view of some of these names and what they are doing in this scenario.

Apple

The relentless innovative spirit of the company makes it one of the primary contenders in achieving successful integration of the 4 screens – it already has a strong presence in 3 of the screens – smartphones, tablets and PCs. The Smart TV rumors are picking up – and the presence of Apple in customized smart content (iTunes) and delivery mechanism (Apple Smart TV Box) lend further credence to this chance.

Google

The search giant has the institutional and finance muscle to see a 4-screen strategy through to successful completion. It has already a very strong presence in content (search, YouTube) and delivery network (Android), with a credible presence in PC (through Chrome notebooks), tablet and smartphone category too. However, its repeated attempts in the Smart TV category have been failing.

Sony

Sony has been the earliest purveyors of the 4-screen strategy – as revealed last year in an article – and has been working towards this end. Sony is one of the primary players in the Smart TV category – even though its hold is weakening in recent years. However, it is just a fringe player in the remaining three important categories - smartphones, tablets and PCs even though it strong presence in content delivery through the PS3 network may give it some hope.

Samsung

Samsung is emerging as another strong contender in the achieving fulfillment of this strategy. It is definitely one of the top players in the Smart TV category, and has achieved admirable success in the tablet and smartphone categories. Samsung PCs have also been making strong progress – putting the company at the forefront of the 4-screen movement.

These are not the only companies that are working towards achieving complete integration of the 4 screens that consumers are more likely to use in the future. Lenovo and LG are two other notable names that may come from behind in the near future. For example, LG Smart TVs are in the leadership position, though the smartphone strategy of the company will need some work. On the other hand, LG has a negligible position in the PC market, and is completely absent in the tablet category. Nonetheless, LG is making its Smart TVs compatible with other devices. For example,  LG Smart TVs are equipped with Wi Di – which provide for wireless streaming and sharing of content across compatible mobile devices. Also, the DLNA certification and Smart Share feature provide for seamless integration with other mobile devices and PCs.

Similarly, Lenovo is also present in just one or two categories – so a strong claim in achieving the 4-screen integration is still some distance away.