ComScore today published a new report on the fastest growing content categories for mobile apps and the mobile Web, based on data from its “MobiLense” service.
More or less confirming what we already knew, social networking topped the list as the top-gaining category for both application and browser access, while accessing Bank Accounts was one of the fastest-gaining categories as well.
What was interesting was penetration numbers, especially for smartphones- the report found that 78 percent of smartphone users accessed their browser in April 2010, while 80 percent of smartphone users accessed applications. In comparison, just 19 percent of feature phone users accessed their browser, with 17 percent accessing applications.
Although smartphone users are driving growth in browser (up 111 percent in the past year) and mobile app access (up 112 percent), feature phone users still make up nearly half of all users accessing mobile browsers and apps. This is something we tend to forget with all the news surrounding smartphones these days.
“With mobile media consumption on the rise, the discussion of how consumers are accessing content — whether it is via application, browser or both — continues to be an important factor for companies looking to invest further in their mobile brands,” said Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president of mobile. “Although application access is clearly on the rise, with several categories more than doubling their audience via this method, content consumption via browser continues to be the most popular method for Americans to access mobile media.”
In my mind, I still see mobile Web apps being the winning technology for mobile content consumption in the future. Though mobile apps will always be around, I see Web apps prevailing in the end. The data comScore is reporting seems to support that notion as well. What do you think? Will it be mobile apps or the mobile Web?
