Mobile Devices and the Future of the Web
Not suprisingly, the connection between mobile devices such as phones and tablets and the internet continue to make waves and turn heads. The truth is, for a lot of designers (even some of us a RynoMedia) want to put our head in the sand and keep working with the code and designs we know and love. However, the reality is, that mobile browsing is changing the internet, how people use it and more specifically how owners and designers of websites have to think through this evergrowing phenomenah.
A site I love and use quiet often - Desiring God - just made a major announcement about the release of their very own mobile app. There decision to develop an APP was well researched and below is what they found. These numbers and statistics are so astounishing I couldn't leave them unpublished:
A few statistics. The population of the world just crossed the seven-billion mark. There are currently an estimated 2.26 billion Internet users worldwide—one billion of which are from Asia, and only 273 million of which are from North America. Here's the current breakdown for Internet use globally:
Asia: 1 billion Web users (26% penetration)
Europe: 500 million Web users (61.3% penetration)
North America: 273 million Web users (78.6% penetration)
Latin America: 235 million Web users (39.5% penetration)
Africa: 139 million Web users (13.5% penetration)
Middle East: 77 million Web users (35% penetration)
Australia: 23 million Web users (67% penetration)
These numbers reflect a growing trend in international mobile technology. A few stats to consider:
- Smartphones are expected to increase from 23% of total phone shipments in 2010 to 45% in 2015. (Source)
- Mobile application downloads are expected to reach nearly 48 billion in 2015. (Source)
- The number of smartphones set to rise from today’s global estimate of 500 million handsets in use, to almost two billion by 2015. (Source)
- By 2010, 73% of total mobile cellular subscriptions were from the developing world. (Source)
- Smartphone connections to Wi-Fi hotspots will soon overtake laptops globally. Laptops now represent less than half (48%) of the connections to hotspots, smartphones account for 36 percent and tablets 10 percent. (Source)
- Out of 6.8 billion people on the planet, 5.1 billion of them own a cell phone. Only 4.2 billion own a toothbrush. (Source: Mobile Marketing Association Asia)
- There are 1.2 billion mobile web users worldwide; Asia is the top region. (Source)
- Four billion mobile phones are in use, 1.08 billion of which are smartphones. (Source)
- There are more mobile phones on the planet than TVs. (Source: Jupiter)
- There are 5.9 billion mobile subscribers worldwide. China and India account for 30% of the world's subscriptions. (Source)
- 9 in 10 American adults now have mobile phones, up from 7 in 10 in 2006 (+21%). 1 in 5 kids ages 6 to 11 now have a mobile phone. (Source)
- It is predicted that mobile users will outnumber desktop computer users by 2014. (Source)
- 91% of all U.S. citizens have their mobile device within reach 24/7. (Source: Morgan Stanley)
- On average, Americans spend 2.7 hours per day socializing on their mobile device. (Source)
- One half of web searches are done via a mobile device. (Source)
Can you believe these numbers? Quite remarkable they are and worthy of some deep thought and consideration.
Thanks for Reading,
Ryan Vars
