For more information, refer to Reuters.
Malaysia has one of the biggest smartphone users in the world. A survey commissioned by Google in Oct 2011 found that
- 1 in 3 Malaysians say they would rather give up their TV than their smartphone.
- On a daily basis: 43% of Malaysian smartphone users go onto the mobile Internet.
- 68% say they never leave home without their smartphones and 58% say they first access information on their smartphones and then follow up to find more info on their laptops / PCs.
Like Google, Facebook business model is very unconventional. Google made most of its software free by heavily invested into R & D while not making direct income from it products. Nevertheless, over the years Google has transitioned itself from a total dependent on the advertising business by diverting into other business activities such as manufacturing mobile phones, enterprise products and etc.
The real Facebook business model is still a debate. Most people would believe that it is advertisement, but if we look carefully, I don't see much advertisement hanging around my own page. Some says it is charging Facebook app developers a fee for its platform. My last analysis feels that it can also be in the business of providing intelligence.