Commentary

Desktop Ain't Dead Yet

More people are using mobile devices to access the Internet, but this doesn’t mean desktop is in decline. In fact, desktop Internet usage continues to grow too, albeit at a slower rate than mobile Internet usage, according to comScore co-founder Gian Fulgoni, who gave an overview of recent trends in online behavior at Borrell Associates’ Local Online Advertising Conference.

The average user spent 1,256 minutes on the Internet in November 2014, according to Wireless World’s summary of Fulgoni’s remarks. Smartphones accounted for 574 minutes of this time; desktops, 510 minutes; and tablets, 172 minutes.

Thus mobile does indeed account for a larger share  -- 59% -- of total usage, compared to 41% for desktop. However total usage is rising and both mobile and desktop are contributing to this trend. The total time spent on the Internet across all devices was up 26% from around 1,000 minutes in November 2013. Time spent on smartphones was up 29% from 445 minutes, time on tablets up 39% from 124 minutes, and time on desktop up 19% from 429 minutes.

Within mobile, Internet usage apps remain dominant, Fulgoni said, accounting for 56% of mobile Internet access. However, most mobile users tend to use only a few apps, with 42% using just one app. And obviously that leaves a substantial share for the mobile Web.

Interesting to contrast these figures with research I previously reported on, from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and its Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence, based on a Harris Poll survey of 2,000 U.S. adults: 37% of smartphone users said their usage skews heavily or somewhat towards mobile apps; 33% said they spend equal amounts of time on mobile apps and the mobile Web; and 30% said they favor the mobile Web.

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