The New Wave of Mobile Web surfing

By Jason Ankeny


If you're reading this web feature on a mobile device, chances are you're doing so on an iPhone. During his keynote appearance at February's Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, AT&T Mobility president and CEO Ralph de la Vega called the iPhone "a game-changer," noting that since AT&T exclusively launched the Apple device in mid-2007, 95 percent of iPhone owners now regularly surf the mobile web, even though 30 percent had never done so on their previous handset. "There isn't a device that's easier to use," de la Vega said. "[The iPhone] proves that price resistance is only as strong as the user experience is weak."

Compare the iPhone mobile web statistics to the results of a new report issued by market analysis firm Forrester Research. Among the 5,398 North American consumers queried by Forrester in the fourth quarter of 2007, 48 percent of respondents said they wish they could look up things online when they're on the go, but 58 percent said the mobile web fails to meet their needs--moreover, 60 percent said their mobile device screens are simply too small for activities outside of making calls and sending text messages.

"It's clear the iPhone is driving mobile web adoption - I use the mobile web a lot more now that I have an iPhone than I ever did before," says John Puterbaugh, founder and chief strategist of mobile services platform provider Nellymoser. "It obviously boils down to the iPhone user experience. After all, there have been similar devices in the past, and it certainly is not about the connection speed, either. Apple just comes much closer to a full Internet browser."

And therein rests the key to the future of mobile web browsing as a whole: Consumers are not going to settle for a limited, compromised Internet experience regardless of the device platform. "We've always said there is only one web, and people want full Internet access on their phones," says Jon von Tetzchner, co-founder and CEO of web browser development firm Opera Software. "The problem is that a lot of mobile operators were not pushing it. Even a year ago, operators were still thinking in terms of walled gardens. But now everyone is changing their minds, and it is a real Internet. We're seeing a very big change in what people believe in, and what is possible."

Associated Link: The new wave of mobile web surfing

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