When it comes to a preference of devices for US broadband users the PC is by far the most popular choice with 94 percent favoring their desktop, while 40 percent use their laptop and only 5 percent use the mobile Internet according to Media-Screen.
Mobile users can be broken down into three categories: those who access the Internet from mobile devices (5%), those who have Internet mobile devices but don’t use them to go online (58%) and those who don’t have Internet enabled mobile devices (36%).
The obstacles for the mobile Internet are extra fees and the difficulty of establishing a quality Internet connection. “It’s a laborious exercise to get to the content that the consumer is ultimately interested in consuming,” said Josh Krandall, managing director at Media-Screen. “Also, the cost of services impedes use in total and deters more widespread use.”
Users conduct an average of 3.3 online activities on their mobile devices compared to 13.4 activities on their laptops or desktops. “The mobile Internet is still in its infancy due to technological and pricing hurdles,” said Jean Durall of Media-Screen.
The most common activities for mobile Internet users are email, which 47 percent access, followed by gaming at 27 percent, news with 16 percent and TV which 13 percent of respondents watch. The study also found that marketing and advertising on the mobile Internet do not grab most users attention.
More than half of the respondent said that mobile Internet access does not match well with their lifestyle.
“I think that the marketers are overlooking key demographics,” Mr. Krandall said. “If you are not young or you are not an on-the-go businessman, then mobile Internet has not been marketed to you.”
