The UK has reached a mobile milestone. We now prefer using phones to get online over laptops, according to Ofcom. The Ofcom’s 2015 Communications Report reveals that 33% of internet users cite their phone as their most important device for getting online, versus 30% who prefer their laptop.
It also reports that two thirds of people now own a smartphone, and use it for more than two hours a day to do stuff online. This might sounds pretty unsurprising for readers, but it marks a significant shift. Just last year 22% named their phone as their most important means of getting online, with a solid 40% naming their laptop.
Ofcom attributes the modal shift to the growth in 4G and the faster speeds it delivers, which has shot up from 2.7m subscriptions at the start of 2014 to 23.6m by the end. The study showed that basically all internet activities, from shopping, to messaging, to watching video, all increased in line with the increase in 4G usage.
The survey also gives a fascinating insight into changing social behaviours. Apparently 31% of adults "admit to taking a selfie", with 10% doing so in the last week – though interestingly young people are much better at backing up, with 36% of 16-34 year olds ensuring their photos are backed up, versus just 29% of people over 35.
And it appears that TV as we know it could be on the way out. Apparently most 16-24 year olds now watch TV on demand through computers and smartphones, rather than through a connected set-top-box. On phones, shortform video like YouTube and Vine are more popular than TV – with 42% watching short videos on demand, versus 21% of people who watch films and TV.