Trends on Tuesday: The Mobile Tipping Point?

scanrail, iStock, Thinkstock

The International Data Corporation (IDC) is forecasting a strong outlook for smartphone sales during the remaining months of 2014. They predict more than 1.25 billion smartphones will be shipped worldwide before the end of the year. Just 24 hours after going on sale last Friday, the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus broke prior Apple presale records with 4 million units purchased.

Reading these stats I couldn’t help but ask, “Are we at a mobile tipping point?”

According to CIO Magazine, the answer is yes. In fact, it is estimated that mobile devices will outnumber humans sometime in 2017. So, what might this mobile-driven world look like?

• More people will be connected. Many individuals will make their first-ever connections to the mobile world, including users from developing countries in the Asia Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa.
• Use of multiple devices will rise. A large number of mobile users, possibly more than half, will connect to the Web via more than one mobile device.
• Laptops will lose popularity. Mobile users will transition to devices they can carry and use wherever they are.
• Video watching will increase. Video accounted for 53% of mobile traffic last year and will reach 69% by 2018.
• More bandwidth, please. A stronger, more robust, faster, and more responsive infrastructure will be needed to support this increased mobility.

A new mobile world is just around the corner. What is your agency doing to get ready? Every month, DigitalGov University provides high quality, cost-effective programs sponsored by communities like the Mobile Gov Community of Practice to help agencies improve the user experience for mobile customers. Find an upcoming DGU event or view a recent event in our video library.