¦lt;br /> According to analyst firm Nielsen Online, mobile internet use is growing while the number of people going online via a PC is slowing. There was an increase of 25% of people accessing the net via their mobile phones and handsets during the second and third quarters of 2008. That is a vast amount compared to a growth of just 3% for the PC-based net audience.
"This highlights the advantage of mobile when it comes to immediacy: people often need fast, instant access to weather or sports news and mobile can obviously satisfy this," said one senior analyst with Nielsen Online.
In the same study, they also found the mobile net audience was younger and searched for different things. The more youthful users are looking up headlines, weather and sports. Compared to their "elders" who use search engines and general news sites more. This is not much of a surprise. The youth don't work at desks, so they won't have the same search needs. Sometimes I wonder if these studies ever just look at the basics and let it stop there.
Overall, once again I ask, how surprised are we? The proliferation of iPhones, the arrival of Storms and the large number of "entry level" phones all allow access to the web. We are an "on the go" society. We want our food for the body and the mind that way. So the technology providers are doing there best to make it possible. Of course, it helps that some of the other related costs are also becoming more competitive. Flat rate plans and initial deals with providers help the allure of using these services. If the mobile internet usage wasn't on the rise at a steady rate, then why is everyone trying to sell me one?
