Internet users look past PCs, laptops to go online
Gartner predicts that by 2018, more than half of users will go to a tablet or smartphone first for all online activities.
In emerging economies, users are adopting smartphones as their exclusive mobile devices while in developed economies, multi-device households are becoming the norm, with tablets growing at the fastest rate of any computing device, the information technology research and advisory firm said.
“The use pattern that has emerged for nearly all consumers, based on device accessibility, is the smartphone first as a device that is carried when mobile, followed by the tablet that is used for longer sessions, with the PC increasingly reserved for more-complex tasks,” said Van Baker, research vice president.
“This behaviour will adapt to incorporate wearables as they become widely available for users. As voice, gesture and other modalities grow in popularity with consumers, and as content consumption tasks outweigh content creation tasks, this will further move users away from the PC.”
Gartner outlined key predictions around mobility:
- By 2018, 40% of organisations will specify Wi-Fi as the default connection for non-mobile devices, such as desktops, desk phones, projectors, conference room.
- By 2020, 75% of smartphone buyers will pay less than $100 for a device.
- By 2018, 78% of global smartphone sales will come from developing economies.
By 2018, Gartner expects the ASP for a basic and a utility phone to be $78 and $25, respectively.
Some low-cost smartphones are expected to reach approximately $35 unsubsidised by year-end 2014 (compared with the $50 lowest entry-level smartphones seen in 2013).
This is having an effect on the competitive landscape of smartphone vendors, as Chinese brands rapidly grow share, putting pressure on the Tier 1 smartphone vendors, Gartner said.
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