Mobile Web Trends Update

There is no doubt that web browsing via mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones is on the rise, and has been for the past few years. But, if you need further proof, look no further than this clever chart produced by TNS Infratest Germany, which plots smartphone usage against PC usage from March 2011 to March 2014 (ironically, the chart is not optimised for smartphones). Click play to visualise how the data changes over time:

Some interesting trends are evident here. In Australia and the UK, for example, PC usage continued steady growth along with smartphone usage until around 2012, where the chart takes a sharp left. This indicates that PC usage in Australia and the UK is on the decline for internet use, and smartphone usage is still growing.

Saudi Arabia and Thailand saw massive decreases in PC usage, while smartphone growth continued steadily.  According to the chart though, in 2012, the USA saw a significant increase in the amount of PC usage.  While TNS Infratest Germany is a reputable source of information, it's worth noting that there may be some anomalies in the data.

Overall, smartphone internet usage is still rapidly increasing, which is food for thought when developing your new website. If your site is not optimised for mobile usage by using responsive web design, it really should be - there are no longer any excuses.  The data is clear, if you're not enhancing your site's experience for mobile users, you're going to be alienating an increasingly large chunk of your potential visitors and/or customers.