It looks like the big boys that once proudly stood behind the “.mobi” domain, which should’ve been used by mobile website developers around the world, finally realized just how stupid their idea was. Right from the start when first web-enabled handsets started appearing, many companies started using “m.company.com” instead of “company.mobi.” Heck, in many cases I’ve seen, if there were a dedicated “.mobi” domain – it usually redirected to a different optimized-for-mobile page or subdomain.
On that note, we bring you this news item which involves Irish company Afilias which has acquired the “.mobi” suffix. One wonders how they think to monetize on the domain that failed heavily and will continue to do so with more hi-res screen-equipped mobile phones hitting the market.
However, it’s worth pointing that Afilias also owns “.info” and I’m guessing they know how to deal and make money out of domains.
Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.
As a reminder, “.mobi” began operations in 2006 with founders including such companies as Nokia, Microsoft, Google and T-Mobile.
[Via: CellularNews]