21 Apr How Are Consumers Using Smart Phones?

According to a recent study, mobile phone Internet use is putting up some serious numbers.

The Mediapost.com article tells us that Americans are spending on average 2.07 hours a day on their mobile phones. Included in this time are social networking, personal finance, search, e-commerce, and much more.

The study shows an interesting difference in the way males and females use their phones.

Females tend to use their mobile phone time to connect and communicate. This obviously includes Facebook and other social networking sites. Men are more likely to research, read, and manage finances.

While women are more likely to socialize on their mobile phones, 91% of all respondents claim that they go online with their phones to socialize regularly. Only 79% of respondents use their personal computers for socializing. It’s clear that those seeking Internet access with their mobile phones are doing so for social reasons. This reinforces a lot of theories about the future of Twitter and other social networks. Many experts believe that social networking fits better into mobile Internet use than personal computer use. These findings support that.

Mobile devices are becoming more powerful and they can now accomplish more than communication. Users are searching websites, doing personal finance, organizing, reading, and even gaming. The new iPad is a mobile device. It’s not a computer. It mimics a lot of the functions of a computer but that doesn’t make it one. It makes me wonder where we will be in five years. Will the average person be able to accomplish everything they need from mobile devices? Will people still be buying computers at the same rate? These are questions that will obviously be answered sooner than later. I think Apple has really started the fire on this. It will be fun to watch.