• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, December 26, 2011

A new whitepaper from Juniper Research predicts that recessionary conditions will possibly have an adverse impact on smartphone and tablet sales, particularly in the case of unsubsidised devices. Given the extent to which smartphones have already become a near “must-have” device, says the report, the impact will be less significant than for tablets, where it may well reduce the extent to which these devices penetrate the wider market.

Conversely, the reduction in average purchasing power could conceivably benefit players such as Amazon and ARCHOS, inasmuch as cash-strapped consumers may opt for the lower-priced Kindle Fire or an ARNOVA-branded device rather than the iPad, opines the report.

Here’s a list of the top ten wireless predictions, with each prediction explained in more detail in the complete whitepaper.

1. Recession Likely to Hit Smart Device Sales

• In addition to comments above, the reduction in average purchasing power could conceivably benefit players such as Amazon and ARCHOS, inasmuch as cash-strapped consumers may opt for the lower-priced Kindle Fire or an ARNOVA-branded device rather than the iPad. A prolonged downturn could have a serious negative impact on sales of dedicated eReaders, essentially “nice-to-have” rather than “must-have” devices.

2. London 2012 to Boost Mobile Advertising and M-Gambling, and Kickstart NFC

• The London 2012 Olympics will provide a substantial boost to advertising across various mobile delivery channels, with brands keen to employ location-based advertising and marketing. Also likely is more widespread usage of augmented reality within mobile marketing, using both image recognition and markerless tracking techniques.

3. Mobile Coupons to Drive mCommerce Market Despite Economic Stagnation

• As economic conditions worsen, then consumer uptake of coupon-based discounts becomes more extensive. An austere financial climate will act as a further stimulant to this trend, with the mobile couponing market, already accelerating as part of a more wholesale usage of m-commerce, a key beneficiary.

4. 2012 – The Year of the Quad-Core Processor

• In 2012, the top-end devices will come with quad-core processors. There are a number of services that will benefit from this increase in power, the biggest of which is the games industry. Quad-core processors will allow developers to add more realistic effects, getting ever closer to the elusive console-quality experience.

5. Windows 8 OS to Fuel Nokia Revival & Disrupt Tablet Market

• Microsoft’s next OS will be compatible with both Intel and ARM architechtures, meaning it will run on both PC and mobile devices. This will create a huge ecosystem of devices, from smartphones, to tablets, notebooks and desktops – for app developers to target.

Please access the remaining five predictive trends from the whitepaper from Juniper Research, and to expand on all of the top ten mobile trends.

6. 2012 to see High Profile Malware Attacks on Mobile Devices

7. MEMs Accelerometers and Gyroscopes to Transform Sensor Market for Mobile Devices

8. Social Gaming to Become a Major Mobile Play with Introduction of Synchronous Gaming

9. Online, Mobile and Physical Will Begin to Fuse into One Retail Market

10. Cloud Mobility to Drive Collaborative Communications

For additional information from Juniper Research, and to access the complimentary whitepaper, please visit here.