Net-Metrix: 3 million online users do it with their smartphones
The trend toward Internet use via mobile devices in Switzerland continues. Already, 60 percent of Internet users (3.2 million) also access the Internet via smartphones and other mobile devices, and about 40 percent (2.2 million) do so daily or almost daily.
The group of tablet users has experienced considerable growth of over 20% in six months and is currently close to the million mark. This is according to Net-Metrix in the Mobile Report 2013-1, which records the development of internet usage across different types of mobile devices.
According to the press release, the trend comparison of the Mobile Report shows a positive development since its inception: the group of SSD users (small screen devices) has now surpassed the 3 million threshold (3.2 million) and currently accounts for 60% of Swiss internet users. This corresponds to an increase of 8% since the last survey six months ago and a doubling since the first survey in 2010. The group of SSD heavy users, i.e. those people who surf the Internet daily or almost daily with smartphones and the like, has grown even more significantly: Within six months, this group has grown from 1.9 million to around 2.2 million and now accounts for over 40% of Swiss online users. This proportion has tripled since the first survey in 2010.
Tablet users continue to show the greatest relative growth: With a share of 18%, they currently comprise 965,000 people and have therefore almost broken the million mark. Growth in the last six months has been 22% and since the first survey in 2010 has been an impressive 17%. As the Christmas period only partly coincided with the survey period, it can be assumed that the current shares are even higher.
Number of mobile devices for Internet use is increasing
The trend observed for the type of device is confirmed: at 52.7%, the proportion of online users who use the internet via smartphones was higher than internet usage in the laptops, notebooks and netbooks category (47.6%) for the first time. Currently, the gap is even greater at 58.2% for smartphones and just under 50% for laptops & co.
However, a significant shift at device level is not yet apparent, at least not if you look at the number of mobile devices used to surf the web: The proportion of online users who surf the web with two or more mobile devices has practically doubled from 22.2% in 2010 to 43.3%. Conversely, the decline in those online users who do not use a mobile device at all to visit the web is remarkable: Since the first survey, the proportion of this group has more than halved and now stands at 18.6%.
Looking at the different user groups, the number of mobile devices used to visit the web is highest among tablet users: 86% surf the internet with two or more mobile devices, compared to 66% of SSD users and 70.1% of SSD heavy users. The differences become even clearer when the number is increased to four or more devices: While this proportion is only just 6.3% for SSD users and 7.9% for SSD heavy users, tablet users also come out on top here with 15.1%.
Female tablet users on the rise
The forecast of the last Mobile Report appears to be confirmed: While women made up less than a third of tablet users in 2011, they are currently coming ever closer to their male network colleagues at 45.2%. This means that women have grown by over 21% in just six months. It can be assumed that as tablet use becomes more widespread, the greater convergence of socio-demographic characteristics towards the online community will continue.
