When it comes to observing the Internet’s growth, Mary Meeker is a legendary figure. Her annual Internet Trends reports are widely respected as including vital insights into how the online landscape has progressed over time, as well as how it will develop in the future, containing a huge amount of research from online analysts KPCB. This year’s report was delivered at the Code Conference last night, and here is our pick of the most intriguing findings.
More and more people are accessing the Internet on their mobile
Meeker’s report found that the number of people using smartphones to go online rose by 20% compared to last year, as the number of devices worldwide skyrocketed. This was actually a decrease from the growth seen in 2013, but strong growth in developing nations such as China, Brazil, Indonesia, and India made up for slowdowns in the U.S. and other more developed countries. Overall, this growth meant that mobile usage of the Internet now stands at 25% of the total, up from 14% last year
Mobile data use is also skyrocketing – thanks largely to mobile video and the accompanying ads
The report found a huge rise in mobile data traffic, which increased by 81% this year, with the increase appearing to be largely down to customers watching video content from the lieks of YouTube and Vimeo on their mobile devices. The amount of mobile adverts is also on the rise, increasing 47% to now total 11% of overall Internet ad revenues.
Despite smartphone usage increasing, it’s tablets that are growing the fastest growing market
Along with a major increase in the number of us going online with our smartphone, the report also highlighted the explosion in tablet usage worldwide, with shipments up 52% compared with the previous year. Android and iOS tablets were unsurprisingly the most popular, accounting for nearly 97% of the world’s market mobile operating systems in 2013, whereas eight years ago, "US-developed mobile OSes" accounted for only 5%.
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The amount of data that is being uploaded, stored, and analysed in the cloud is exploding
Usage of cloud computing saw extremely strong growth in 2013, encouraged by a fall in the cost of online storage, along with cheaper computing and bandwidth costs as companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google competed to offer the most appealing cloud offerings.
However according to the report, two-thirds of all the digital content around the world is created and accessed by consumers, which has gone a long way towards making the world a more connected and interactive place. However, the report warns that users need to be aware of potential threats to their personal privacy, and for cloud providers to ensure proper security precautions are in place.
Overall, investors and entrepreneurs have a lot to be excited about
2014 is an exciting time to get involved with the technology space, Meeker’s report said, dampening concerns that the sector may be approaching a bubble, despite worldwide internet growth slowing to less 10% this year.
The report highlighted that initial public offerings in 2013 were 73% lower than pre-dotcom bust levels, with venture financings 77% below the peak level they reached in 2000. Technology companies also now make up only 19% of the S&P 500 Index, whereas in March 2000, they represented 35%, all of which make the sector an appealing prospect for investors.
