IBM has released new survey results which indicate that over 50 per cent of consumers would rather use a mobile device than a PC for internet browsing.

"Worldwide adoption of the mobile phone as the preferred device for accessing the internet is just around the corner," predicted Dr. Sungyoul Lee of IBM. According to Lee, companies should seize the opportunity to "develop intuitive applications and services that allow people of all ages to effortlessly access and use the internet while on the go -- anytime, and anywhere".

Big Blue's comprehensive survey polled 600 consumers located in the US, China and the UK. By 2011, 39 per cent of respondents said they expected to increase internet use on their mobile device by at least 40 per cent. Nevertheless, the survey found that consumers still preferred to carry out tasks such as banking, stock trading, shopping and general search on a PC.

Mobile web browsing is fast increasing in popularity on a global basis. As IT Examiner previously reported, African mobile web browsing far exceeds traditional desktop-computer surfing. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Africa's mobile industry is expanding at nearly double the global rate. However, personal computer use remains low, which results in an increasing number of Africans choosing mobile devices to access the internet. Indeed, Opera reported that the use of its mini browser in Africa had surged over 180 per cent over the past nine months.

"Month after month we have witnessed our usage numbers in Africa skyrocket," explained Jon von Tetzchner, CEO of Opera Software. "This tells us that change is underway, and more people now have the ability to access the internet from locations that were previously unthinkable. It's exciting to see a rise in Opera Mini use in countries like Egypt, where accessing sites such as Facebook and Google from their mobile phone can now be a part of Egyptians' daily lives." X

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