Some point to the emergence of super-popular iPhone and Android mobile devices as the catalysts for new consumer software and services in this decade. That’s driving companies to adopt a mobile-first strategy to ensure that they capture these markets before going after users who are still tethered to larger and less portable screens.

Although the mobile first strategy is becoming a reality for many companies, detractors still argue that mobile will hit a wall when increasingly connected users opt for the ergonomics and convenience of larger screens, keyboards, and the physical accommodations of as-of-yet non-portable devices (like laptops). These individuals argue that to make a mobile first strategy sustainable, mobile devices must offer the same kinds of utility that larger, non-portable devices currently promise.