Colm Bracken, group search manager at Microsoft, observed that increasing numbers of consumers are browsing the internet via mobile devices, adding that this growth is being driven by the uptake of smartphones.
"I think currently 35 per cent of the population has a smartphone - this is predicted to grow to 50 per cent next year, according to Morgan Stanley, so that's a huge growth spurt for this area and there are knock-on effects to that," he told teleappliant.com.
Businesses, Mr Bracken added, should not assume members of the public use smartphones in the same way that they use PCs. This is because the behaviour on both devices is very different, rendering them more suitable for some industry players than others.
Earlier this week, wireless communication device firm Everything Everywhere announced "record" smartphone sales in the second quarter.
As many as 85 per cent of new contract customers opted for a smartphone, up from 84 per cent in the first quarter and from 64 per cent year-on-year, the firm confirmed.
Posted by Simon Jones
