Yahoo’s approach to the mobile market is about to change in a very noticeable way. Indeed, Yahoo’s mobile division will more or less cease to exist as a separate entity, with mobile becoming something of a company-wide concern.
One important note: no layoffs have been announced. "We are infusing mobile throughout the organization, rather than having a specific team for mobile," Cory Pforzheimer, Yahoo’s senior manager of corporate communications, explained to Tricia Duryee. "Mobile is top of mind for everyone, and it’s part of regional teams, business teams, product teams."
Obviously, this is a significant change, and it’s one of several that have occurred in recent weeks. Yahoo’s introduced a dedicated mobile blog, released a new Social Pulse feature, and seen a mobile exec depart all in the last month or so.
It’s possible the dissolution of Yahoo’s mobile division isn’t the last step in this process, either. Pforzheimer told Duryee, "The importance of mobile in Yahoo has increased and we are re-aligning the organization to do just that."
Meanwhile, a completely unrelated thing that’s also gotten the mobile world all excited is the first iPad commercial, which aired during the Oscars.
UPDATE: Pforzheimer provided an extra bit of information in an email to WebPronews, adding, "Yahoo! seeks to be the center of people’s online lives. We have more tightly integrated our mobile business into the company’s DNA as we create the best possible user experiences for our consumers and partners regardless of device or access point. As the adoption of Yahoo!’s mobile services continues to grow globally, mobile continues to be a key priority for the company."