This week, a new “Microsoft Tag” community study was published which indicates that mobile device usage is estimated to overtake desktop Internet users as soon as 2014, based on a rate of growth tracked since 2007.
To that end, mobile application production studio Epic Digital recently conducted a survey of clientele to similarly probe, observe, and study how the unprecedented growth of applications on the iPhone, iPad, and Android effects different markets.
“Nearly 90% of our production income comes from businesses expanding their traditional media to mobile devices,” says Eric Peterson, CEO of Epic Digital. “This is specifically in the corporate, educational, and entertainment markets. “Ever since 2009, the priority for companies has switched from just having Internet media, to making sure that media is cutting-edge and user-friendly on mobile devices. This includes animation, periodicals, and even normal business functionality. Large franchise restaurants are taking orders from iPads and department stores are doing the same.”
Peterson points to a study from National Literacy Trust showing that children ages 7-16 are more likely to own a mobile device than a book.
On the heels of Apple’s freshly announced iBooks 2 textbooks for iPad, it’s compellingly evident that more educational publishers are trying to provide innovative learning tools on mobile devices.
As traditional media consumption trends change to a more mobile design, new gateways are opened for how media can be communicated to users.
“The really exciting thing about mobile apps,” Peterson says, “is that there is a really cohesive way for sleek design and user experience to blend with functionality. Instead of creating a piece of media that can serve as a digital business card, more utilities can be packed in. A roofing company can mobilize its task force with affordable devices that not only can provide social media communication to their clientele, but also provide services such as project management, invoicing, billing, and more.”
