Following the smartphone explosion that was 2011, research firm comScore predicts the biggest shakeups are yet to come in the mobile market in 2012.
The report, “2012 Mobile Future in Focus”, was published yesterday and highlights key trends driving smartphone adoption, mobile media usage and multi-device media consumption in markets including the US, UK and Japan.
“2011 proved to be a ground-breaking year for the mobile industry, with smartphones hitting the mainstream, tablets emerging as a formidable fourth screen, and consumers increasingly integrating mobile behaviours into their lifestyles,” says comScore SVP of mobile, Mark Donovan.
According to the report, tablets sky-rocketed in 2011, taking less than two years to account for nearly 40 million tablets in use among US mobile users and outpacing smartphones, which took seven years to reach the same levels.
ComScore says tablets have emerged as the “fourth screen” and mark a shift to a multi-device lifestyle that is increasingly becoming the norm for consumers. “Even when accessing the same content, each device has very different peak usage times throughout a typical day, highlighting their varying use cases and value propositions to the digitally-connected consumer.”
The report highlights the US release of the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet as a “critical turning point” in the mass adoption of tablet devices. “This lower price point is critical in bringing tablet devices to the mass market and will be integral to this competitive landscape in 2012.”
Despite the rise of low-cost options, comScore predicts Apple will look to solidify its position as the tablet leader with the release of the next-generation iPad this year. “Although the iPad's higher price point keeps it out of the consideration set for some consumers, Apple's loyal following of 'fanboys' and its highly-publicised product launches will no doubt make the new iPad among the most talked about product releases of 2012.”
Internet traffic
Smartphones make up 42% of the US smartphone market, and 44% in the EU5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK). Android has kicked Symbian off the market leader spot in three out of the five countries in the EU5. In the US, Android is just shy of capturing half of the total smartphone market, with Apple holding onto a 30% share. Apple's iPhone 4 is, however, rated as the top acquired handset in both the EU5 and US markets.
In December 2011, mobile connected devices drove an estimated 8% of all observed Internet traffic in the US. Mobile phones accounted for the majority of this traffic at 5.2% and tablets at 2.5%.
“As the availability of devices and network improvements fuel mobile and connected device usage, we expect to see Internet traffic from these devices secure a growing share of total digital traffic in the year to come - an important trend that will affect the entire ecosystem, including advertisers, publishers, app developers, among others,” says comScore.
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