For the last year or so, it has been suggested by Google that mobile searches would comfortably overtake the desktop alternative by the end of 2015. Although some sceptics suggested that this process may take longer (especially the renaissance that has recently been enjoyed by the desktop platform as a gaming and productivity resource), Google recently confirmed that their predication came to fruition ahead of schedule. This is also prevalent across a number of international countries, meaning that mobile searches are now a primary consideration for brands, business owners and marketers.
If we delve deeper into the rising prevalence of mobile platforms, we see that more Google searches take place of mobile devices than desktops in 10 major countries. These include both the U.S. and Japan, which lead the way as innovators in the international technology and mobile marketplaces. With nations such as the UK following suit, this is a trend that will continue to gather momentum over the course of the next 18 months as mobile platforms become increasingly Omni-potent around the world.
It is here that we need to make a key distinction regarding this data, as Google typically groups tablets with desktop and considers smartphones as a separate entity. This is unusual within the technology market, which typically categorises both smartphones and tablets as mobile devices. This adds an interesting dimension to the latest figures, simply because the emergence of the mobile platform as the primary driver of Google searches relies entirely on smartphone user activity. If you were to consider tablets as part of the mobile equation, the statistics would be even more impressive and identify an even more telling shift.
In fact, Comscore previously released a report and supporting graphic for total search volumes in the U.S. This offers a telling insight into the global marketplace, which tends to follow the patterns and behaviours established in America and the Asia Pacific region. According to the intelligence released by the firm, U.S. based mobile queries (inclusive of both tablets and smartphones) accounted for an estimated 29% of all searches completed in 2014. This represented a large increase from the previous years’ figures, and it underlines how the mobile platform is becoming increasingly dominant.
Above all else, it is interesting to note that this represents wider growth in the mobile market as a whole. When you consider the emergence of popular casino games on Android and Apple, for example, there is a clear precedent for mobile platforms growing to supersede traditional desktop and laptop mediums. This is another trend that continues to progress along an upward curve, with the value of the remote gaming sector expected to exceed $182.8 billion on 2015 thanks primarily to the flexibility, accessibility and immersive nature of mobile experiences.
If these trends continue for the foreseeable future, we can expect mobile devices to potentially render desktops obsolete in the future.
