INNOVATION

Disruptive Innovation Theory

Abstract

In this work, an attempt would be made to analyze the applicability of Christensen's Theory of Disruptive Innovation with special reference to the innovation that has taken in the mobile phones. Moreover, the innovations in mobile phones from different perspectives are also discussed with the aim to relate it to the aforementioned theory. This work will examine the ways in which the innovations in mobile phones relate to the theory of Disruptive Theory. Disruptive Innovation Theory

Introduction

This report is aimed at analyzing the trend of innovation that has been taken in the designing of mobile phones with the passage of time. It will be emphasizing on Christensen's Disruptive Innovation theory and how it applies to the case of mobile phones. It will be highlighting the different aspects of innovation and development as they apply to the technological products and what further innovations are expected to take place in the future. The report would be analyzing the concept of innovation in general and with reference to the mobile phones themselves.

This report would be addressing mobile phones as its subject. Mobile phone is basically an electronic device that is used for making and receiving telephone calls wirelessly over a radio link. It is also known as cellular phone, cell phone and hand phone. It is distinguished from the common wired telephone in the way that it can be used while moving around a wide geographic area, i.e. it has the feature of mobility. It accomplishes the task of making or receiving calls by connecting itself to cellular network (mobile network) that is provided by a mobile phone or cellular service operator. This allows it the access to the public telephone network. It can also be distinguished from a cordless phone in the sense that a cordless phone has a limited range for moving about its telephone set, while in case of mobile phone, the coverage area is significantly greater than that of a cordless phone (Grossman & Helpman, 1993).

A number of services, besides telephony are now provided on the mobile phone networks through the use of mobile phones. These include sending and receiving of text messages, multi media messages, internet access and wireless communication with another compatible device within a short range (Bluetooth, infrared) along with several software applications such as games. The innovation in the mobile phone designs has allowed for the integration of camera and radio in it so as to provide the feature of capturing photographs and receiving radio transmission (Kukulska-Hulme et.al, 2009, pp. 13-35).

Mobile phones can be considered as an innovation that combined a number of features of different devices, with the public telephone as the primary device. Before the invention of mobile phones, telephones were available but they were not wireless. So an innovation that was done in those telephones allowed for the designing of mobile phones. The addition of other features such as camera, radio and similar features is in fact an example of innovation. If compared to its earliest forms, it has gone ...