Mobile Internet Users Will Soon Outnumber PC Users in the U.S.

As smartphones begin to outsell feature phones, the number of mobile Internet users in the U.S. will grow by 16.6% between 2010 and 2015, according to a new report from IDC. This market-analysis firm predicts that by 2015 more people in the U.S. will access the Internet through a phone or a tablet than through a desktop or laptop. 

The report, from IDC’s Worldwide New Media Market Model, predicts the number of users accessing the Internet through PCs will begin to stagnate then slowly decline in coming years, as a result of increased smartphone and media tablet adoption. The report also adds that Western Europe and Japan will not be far behind the U.S. in following this trend. 

The New Media Market Model also found that when 40% of the world’s population has access to the Internet, the total number of users will grow from 2 billion in 2010 to 2.7 billion in 2015.

In addition Global B2C ecommerce spending will grow at an annual rate of 12.7%, increasing from $708 billion in 2010 to $1,285 billion in 2015. As Internet use and spending continue to swell, worldwide online advertising will also experience a rise, from $70 billion in 2010 to $138 billion in 2015. The online advertising’s share of total advertising across all media will grow from 11.9% to 17.8%. 

Source: IDC