Mobile Internet: It's Here and It's Booming

According to certain studies, the future of the internet lies in the palm of your hand. More specifically your mobile device.  Mobile internet has been creating a buzz for quite a while now, and a 2009 Morgan Stanley report predicted that in five years, more people will access the internet from wireless devices than through desktop computers. With the number of tablets, internet ready mobile phones and e-readers being released every week (or so it seems), that is hardly a future too fantastic to envision.

Well, in some parts of world, the future is knocking. A Sensis® e-Business Report nearly half of Australian users in their 30s access the web through mobile devices even though they have access to a computer. This represents amazing growth, according to the author of the report Christena Singh. She adds –

“While younger Australians are more likely to use mobile internet, half of Australians in their 30s are using mobile web, while more than four in 10 log on when they are in their 40s”

This surge in mobile internet access in Australia was largely spurred by the introduction of the iPhone in the country two years ago. It also helps that more and more children are accessing the internet from a younger age. A recent survey found that among children aged five and younger, 26% had already used the internet. And since mobile is a particular favorite among the youth, early adoption is clearly a major reason for its success.

So what are all those young people doing on the mobile internet? Well the answer is sure to bring a smile to every internet marketer’s face. 41% of mobile internet users are actually looking for information on what to buy. Yes, digging up info on products and services is apparently the number one mobile internet activity.  Mark Shaw, GM of Sensis’ digital advertising business MediaSmart, says, “…this interest in product and service information is well and truly hitting the mobile usage numbers. Usage of Yellow Pages® Mobile has almost tripled in just one year”.

So give us your opinion. Is a future where the mobile is the preferred internet device just around the corner? Or will we be hanging on to our PCs just a little while longer?