State of US Internet and Mobile Usage
Jinfo Blog

22nd November 2010

By Nancy Davis Kho

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Last week digital marketing intelligence research firm comScore released its 'State of the Internet in the US' for Q3 2010. The study attempts to capture changes in the behaviour of US Internet users over time, particularly as regards video, search, mobile and eCommerce, and looks at trends in monetisation. Among comScore's findings is that 213.6 million Americans (out of an estimated population of 307 million) were online in July 2010, and that 'the average user was online 24 days in the month, for a total of 32.6hours, and viewed 2,779 pages.' That's a lot of online time, but at 9% growth in new users, US Internet growth is actually fairly stagnant compared to the rest of the world. Much bigger gains were made in Russia, China, Mexico and Brazil, which growth rates of 31%, 29%, 21% and 19%, respectively. The difference in growth rates lends credence to related comScore findings that the US has lost its dominance as the centre of the Internet world, with only 14% of the world's online audience hailing from the States. Asia Pacific is the most dominant player, with 39.9% of the worldwide Internet audience, and Europe is in second slot with 28%. Figures on use of mobile in the US intrigued me most; seems like we Americans are finally catching up with mobile device usage beyond voice. In July 2009 65% of mobile users were browsing the mobile Internet, using applications and downloading content; a year later that percentage had climbed to 70.4%. That growth is surely thanks in large part to increased demand for and availability of more powerful smartphones. A recent research report from Gartner highlights just how much that demand has grown. According to a press release for Gartner's 'Competitive Landscape: Mobile Devices, Worldwide, 3Q10', mobile phone sales to end users worldwide totalled 417 million units during the quarter, a 35% increase over last year same quarter. Furthermore, smartphone sales grew 96% from the third quarter last year. See the full press release at http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1466313. With preparations for London Online in full gear, I'll be roaming the Exhibit floor and looking for new and innovative mobile applications on behalf of VIP readers. If you're at the show, I'd love to hear from you in person about the mobile apps you're most curious or enthused about - stop by and see us at the FreePint Booth (123.) The full comScore report is available for download at http://digbig.com/5bcxts .

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