BII MOBILE INSIGHTS: Mobile Drives Double-Digit Growth In Social Media Engagement

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Mobile Web And Apps Driving Social Media Growth (Nielsen via MarketingProfs)
Consumers continue to spend an insane amount of time on social networks. Roughly 20 percent of users' time via PC and 30 percent of users' time via mobile, according to a report by NM Incite and Nielsen.

time spent on social networks

The total amount of time spent using social media in the U.S. across PCs and mobile devices increased 37 percent in 2012 year-over-year, to 121 billion minutes as of July, from 88 billion in July 2011. Though social media audiences via PC declined a slight 5 percent year-over-year (from 163.6 million in 2011 to 171.8 million in 2012), the amount of time spent using social channels via PC increased 24 percent year-over-year during the same period (from 59.5 billion minutes in 2011, to 74.0 billion in 2012). That signals a deeper level of user engagement. That said, mobile is clearly a key driver of social media use. Consumers increased their time spent using social mobile apps 76 percent year-over-year, from 23.2 billion minutes in 2011 to 40.8 billion in 2012.

The Mobile Industry Grew Like Crazy In 2012 (readwrite mobile)
The overall velocity of smartphone adoption may be starting to slow in the U.S. and other first world markets like Western Europe, but the rest of the world is starting to see extraordinary mobile adoption rates. The biggest visual impact of the velocity of smartphone adoption across the world has been the parallel rise of app economy. And downloads are booming. On smartphones and tablets. In many ways, 2012 was to tablets what 2010 was to smartphones. In two words: more and better. And U.S. consumers are acquiring tablets at a dizzying pace. Furthermore, the rise of Android led us to believe that 2011 was really, "The Year Of Android." Like many trends that started in 2011, 2012 was a year where that trend became magnified. That is especially true for Android. Speaking of Android’s dominance (and its duopoly with Apple), the hunt to make a dent in the two behemoths' profits is on. And 2012 was a bad year for the competitors. 2012 was supposed to be a big year for Windows Phone and Microsoft’s primary manufacturing partner Nokia. It did not materialize that way. On the horizon, however, two potential operating systems have been in development in 2012 that could have an impact in 2013: Tizen and Firefox OS.

Media Predictions For 2013 (Forbes)
With the digital and mobile era clearly setting in across the global landscape, media is continuing to transform. With new doors opening and others closing nearly everyday in the world of publishing, 2013 will be the year that mobile consumption finally raises the bar on both advertising and publishing in the digital age. Here are five predictions for how digital media will unfold in 2013:

Advertisers and publishers will take note as mobile devices will become the #1 way to read news.
R.I.P. iOS magazine apps.
Google News will start to fade as publishers seek profits.
Revenue of news distribution on mobile devices will make up a third of all digital publishing.
The ‘Super Blog’ will take over.

As smartphones and tablets begin to overthrow PCs, advertisers and publishers alike are stuck in a search for a way to hit their target audience and still generate revenue.

Building An Effective Mobile Strategy (Knavesmire IT)
Sometimes it is hard as a small business owner to know exactly what will work for your target audience. Developing your digital communications is no exception to this rule. Just because you think that you have a great idea does not make it a great idea. Instead, you need to develop that idea to suit what your target market is saying they want. Something that is happening as we speak is the emergence of the mobile Web. It took ages for most smaller businesses to realize that they needed a Web presence, and following the exact same pattern, it is also proving difficult for them to start a mobile friendly version of their website. More and more people are taking to using the Web via their smart phones, making it increasingly more important to ensure that you have a mobile optimized web presence. The mobile Web is far more than just websites and apps. There are a host of tactics and tools you can implement that will allow you to promote your business on the mobile Web including QR Codes, Augmented Reality and Near Field Communication. Check out the article for some awesome mobile stats.

5 Trends In HTML5 In 2012 (readwrite mobile)
At the end of 2011, the mobile industry believed that HTML5 was on the cusp of ubiquity. What actually happened is that HTML5 more likely took a step back in developer acceptance in 2012. Here's what happened:

Facebook Goes Native, Apple Cripples Webview
Hybrid The Name Of The Game
Dealing With The Problem Of Hardware
The Responsive Design Revolution
The Leaders Are Changing

The game makers lost interest in HTML5 as a default platform in 2012. The leaders in HTML5 adoption now are media companies and news organizations. Those in the business of content are more apt to take a Web-centric view of the world.

HTML5: Here's Why It Matters (BI Intelligence)
HTML5 allows developers to build rich Web-based apps that run on any device via a standard Web browser. Many think it will save the Web, rendering native platform-dependent apps obsolete. So, which will win? Native apps or HTML5?

Distribution: Native apps are distributed through app stores and markets controlled by the owners of the platforms. HTML5 is distributed through the rules of the open Web: the link economy.
Monetization: Native apps come with one-click purchase options built into mobile platforms. HTML5 apps will tend to be monetized more through advertising, because payments will be less user-friendly.
Platform power and network effects: Developers have to conform with Apple's rules. Apple's market share, meanwhile, creates network effects and lock-in. If and when developers can build excellent iPhone and iPad functionality on the Web using HTML5, developers can cut Apple out of the loop. This will reduce the network effects of Apple's platform.
Functionality: Right now, native apps can do a lot more than HTML5 apps. HTML5 apps will get better, but not as fast as some HTML5 advocates think.

Access the full BI Intelligence report that explains why we think HTML5 will win out, and what an HTML future will look like for consumers, developers, and brands.

Mobile Internet In 2012: Destruction And Rebirth In China (TechNode)
The Internet has reached a bottleneck in the past year as user numbers, penetration, and traffic growth all plateaued. Due to increased competition, many mergers and acquisitions occurred in pre-mature industries. There is no big chance for a start-up company to become the next Baidu or Tencent; the status quo is quite stable at the moment and will last for awhile. In the past, we only saw strategic investments or acquisitions happening in Silicon Valley. Domestic giants in China would rather copy great ideas on their own rather than chasing small startups. But now it’s changing. Local giants like Tencent, Baidu and Alibaba started acquisition sprees. And the future of the Internet lies in mobile. People need to realize that they have to put aside the burden of long-time Internet operations and transcend that to achieve success in the field of mobile Internet. And Asia enjoys more opportunity in mobile compared to other regions in the world. For example, Americans’ hands are more stuck to the steering wheel (and the TV remote I might add). However, in China, people travel mainly by public transport, which leave their hands free to use mobile devices to access the Internet. There will be more mobile Internet opportunities in Asia.

China Will Take Over U.S. As Top Smartphone Market By Year-End (BI Intelligence)
The United States no longer leads the world in smartphone shipments, according to IDC. China will end the year just a shade ahead in terms of market share. China will see 20.7 percent of the world's 2012 smartphone shipments, while the U.S. market receives 20.6 percent. Over the next few years, the global smartphone market will become increasingly concentrated in developing economies. By 2016, China, Brazil, and India will together account for a full 34 percent of smartphone shipments.

China's share will actually remain steady at around one-fifth of the world's total over that period. It is Brazil and India that will see breakneck growth, and double or triple their market share. Between 2012 and 2016, India will grow its share from 2.9 percent of global smartphone shipments to 9.3 percent, while Brazil ramps up to 4.7 percent from 2.3 percent.

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