Smartphone users spend only 20% of their time on the mobile web

I was talking with a friend the other day about the growth of the app ecosystem but also the importance and continual growth of the web over time as well. He shared a shocking statistic with you that I wanted to share with all of you. It’s no secret that more and more people are using their smartphones as the primary way that they use the Internet. Over the next 5 years a completely new wave of Internet users will come online and a smartphone will be at the core of their experience.

What blew my mind is that 80% of the time people are using apps, only 20% of their time is spent on the mobile web. The question is, will this 20% go up as more mobile users get online over the next 3-5 years?

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While I grew up with the web and still use it every single day I have noticed that I’m using apps more and more. It’s great to look back at how things used to be but as a startup founder I am always looking ahead, trying to see how the world is going to be different 3, 5, heck ten years from now.

I see a world that is moving from desktop computers to phones and tablets and an ecosystem within these devices that favors apps over our long-loved web. Google is playing catch-up and Facebook is getting 59% of its ad revenue from mobile. Welcome to the brave new world that is today, don’t blink though, you might wake-up and find out it’s tomorrow.

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton