Mobile web use is increasing by leaps and bounds.
In fact, it’s difficult for many web developers to keep up, as responsive website design is still rapidly emerging into the web space.
Take a look at these statistics:
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
Whoa.
And. It’s. Still. Growing.
But wait, there’s more.
Check out this video spotted on the ROAR App website, also citing mobile stats:
[tentblogger-youtube 5bHVGev9UCU]
So, why a mobile app?
There are a number of reasons why a dedicated mobile app is superior to a mobile friendly website (more on that here), but to me, it comes down to one reason:
The icon.
Although I think every website should make sure they’re offering a mobile version of their website, a mobile app works as a regular reminder: Pick me!
Think of it as the modern “browser bookmark.”
Sure, there’s a lot of compelling technical reasons why you would want an app, but I think the number one reason comes down to ease of usability and staying in front of the smartphone users face.
Need a mobile app?
They’re awesome.
[Image via Blake Patterson]
Antoine RJ Wright says
Just a few things to point out here:
– shipments mean nothing. Sales and installed base do. As of right now, 73% of mobiles sold are not smartphones, and of those in use (installed base) that percentage is a tick higher (replacement cycle rate is at about 12-18 months depending on market, will take a long time before shipments make sense to be used here).
– contradicted yourself with two points: 4 billion mobiles in use refers to accounts, not devices. The devices number is about 3.1 billion. There are not 4 billion PC owners, that number has been pegged between 1.2 and 1.5 billion and holding steady for sometime now. The number of folks who go online with their mobile is at 1.1-1.3 billion, that’s the number thats getting higher than PCs and should be higher by Q1 next year.
Staggering? I guess so. But, from this end, those numbers mean nada when we (the Body) aren’t moving in that space in unity 😉
Eric Dye says
What do you mean by, “moving in unity”?
Darryl Schoeman says
You now, the wonderful thing about sources is that you’re not responsible for their content, only for your interpretation of it. As such, I have to agree with Eric’s sentiments that mobile phones are indeed a force to be reckoned with. I came across this infographic (http://pinterest.com/pin/145944844145544922/) through a friend of mine that very much concurs with Eric’s points. With this infographic making mention of only 600 million active Facebook users, it IS a bit outdated. But that also means that the mobile thesis of their argument is that more stronger as the industry has grown.
But the more pertinent “proof” is the Facebook IPO results. There is a decline in investor confidence with one of their MAIN issues being the increase of smartphone usage and Facebook’s inability to generate ad revenue on them (http://www.investingdaily.com/15501/monetizing-mobile-facebooks-sponsored-stories-are-not-the-answer). Here are some of their stats:
1. More than half of Facebook’s 955 million users are using mobile
2. Facebook’s users increased by 29%, but their MOBILE usage increased by 67%
Mobile phones is indeed a force to be reckoned with. The Jedi’s need to watch out. 😉
Eric Dye says
Word. We’ve got our eye’s peeled for that Rebel scum. 😀