For the past 5 years, in particular, smartphone usage has seen a huge spike – actually overtaking desktop usage in 2017. For the past 12 months, however, usage has stagnated – there has been no noticeable change in mobile use vs desktop use.
Have our browsing habits stabilised? It would appear so. Tablet usage has actually dipped, it seems their initial usage spike might have been eroded by larger screened and more capable smartphones.
In 2017 smartphone sales dipped 9% on the previous year. It would appear that we’ve reached a saturation point in terms of mobile internet/smartphone usage. There simply are not enough "must have" features appearing on new phones to warrant the perpetual upgrade cycle. As a result, we’re not seeing mobile internet use make any further ground in terms of overall reported sessions vs desktop internet.
Will the split stay at 55% / 45% in favour of smartphones? What technologies might be on the horizon to drive smartphone sales forward in the future? There’s faster access in the form of upcoming 5G standards, but we’re not convinced that speed alone is a barrier to mobile Internet use anymore. 4G provides enough throughput in most scenarios for even the most intensive of websites.
The lean towards mobile Internet over desktop means it's more important than ever to ensure your site provides a good experience on all platforms, be sure to check out our Website Services page.
An interesting article on the Telegraph hypothesises that virtual reality and AI might be the next catalyst, well worth a read: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/tips-for-the-future/future-of-tech/