In the early days of the mobile internet, software and services were provided by specialist firms that were expert in eking the best experience possible from the limited resources of simple handsets and basic browsers. As users move to sophisticated smartphones with large amounts of memory, big screens and full operating systems, the PC internet firms like Google will look to take over. But while smartphones are becoming cheaper and more accessible, there is also a rising tide of internet use on simpler handsets, and this could ensure the survival of the mobile-specific companies like Opera on the browser side, or AdMob in advertising engines, even against the attack from Google.
These companies rely on the rising use of midrange handsets for mobile web services, and this is a major trend. While the headlines are dominated by the smartphones like the iPhone and Nokia N Series, less glamorous brands still command the volumes, and the amount of data that is being processed on them is on the upturn. According to new figures from AdMob, which serves ads for more than 5,000 mobile web sites, the Motorola RAZR V3 ‘ once an icon but now widely seen as pass’ and limited in its capabilities ‘ is still the most popular handset in the world. Analyzing the billions of ads it serves, AdMob Mobile Metrics finds the RAZR is the most used webphone in the US, with 10% of ad requests served, and also on a global basis, where it commands 5%. The global top five devices by this measure are the RAZR, Motorola KRZR, Motorola W385m, Nokia N70 and BlackBerry 8100, in that order; this mirrors the US list, except that the BlackBerry comes in fourth, and fifth place is taken by the Motorola Z6m, with no Nokia showing. These two lists indicate that the world is still dominated by midrange handsets for internet usage, and this pattern is strong in the US, not just developing markets.
By contrast, advanced European and east Asian countries show a very different picture, with an increasing amount of mobile web activity taking place on high end smartphones. So the top five in the UK, which is representative of this trend, are the Sony Ericsson K800i, the Nokia N95 ‘ both with over 7% of ad requests served – the Sony Ericsson Walkman 810i, the 3-branded Skypephone (made by Amoi) and the Sony Ericsson Walkman 850i. Sony Ericsson has no fewer than six phones in the UK top 10, while Nokia has three and 3/Amoi is the only other contender. Samsung’s G600 comes in at number 12.
‘While it’s great that the iPhone and BlackBerry are the devices of the future, right now the everyman and -woman are using the mobile web in a big way, even on less sophisticated phones,’ said Jason Spero, AdMob’s head of marketing.
AdMob serves up about 3bn ad impressions a month, but its expertise really lies in delivering ads designed for low end browsers. New smartphone browsers like Apple Safari are designed to bypass cutdown mobile web sites, and display full size sites and ads, potentially sidelining AdMob.