MEX Notes: Mobile is primary internet device for 25% of US subscribers – Pew

Mobile is primary internet device for 25% of US subscribers – Pew – Pew's survey identifies a significant trend: a quarter of the US mobile phone users interviewed now rely on their device as their primary internet access point. To understand what this means for the consumer experience, we should consider the nuance of how this question was asked. The question was phrased as which device do you 'mostly' use to go online. 84% also have internet access from a laptop or desktop at home, so it is unsurprising the majority (59%) said they mostly use a device other than their mobile phone. A further 11% said usage was roughly equal between phone and other devices. Our own user studies for MEX Pathway #2 (entitled 'Research the implications of multiple displays and inputs within a single experience') suggest an evolving picture of multi-touchpoint access to the web, with two or more devices often used simultaneously for different functions – e.g. instant messaging from a phone while browsing photos on a tablet or PC. It would be wrong to conclude this survey indicates a shift towards browsing exclusively from small screen phone devices, rather it shows they are becoming part of a more complex multi-touchpoint user experience.

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