Phones will overtake desktop browsers by 2013, says one research firm

Filed under: News, Browsers, Mobile

With the advent of powerful Internet-enabled mobile phones, it's no secret that mobile browsers are accounting for a larger share of web traffic all the time. In fact, one firm says that the growth of mobile browsers is so rapid, they'll soon overtake traditional desktop browsers. Research and analysis specialists Gartner, Inc. are predicting that "by 2013, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common Web access device worldwide" in a new report.

If trends continue as Gartner suspects, there will be 1.78 billion PCs on the web in 2013, but mobile devices equipped with browsers will total 1.82 billion. For developers and designers, Gartner thinks this will mean an increased focus on optimizing sites for the most popular handheld browsers. That's one way things could go, certainly, but in my (admittedly non-expert) opinion, mobile browsers will also continue to improve, becoming more compliant with contemporary web standards and features.

Gartner's other predictions included this controversial gem: "By 2012, Facebook will become the hub for social network integration and Web socialization." Read the summary of the report for more near-future prognostication.

[via Engadget]

Phones will overtake desktop browsers by 2013, says one research firm originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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