2011 video recap: The year mobile took over the world

While mobile device usage has been steadily growing for years, one could argue that 2011 was the year that mobile took over the world. In fact, that’s exactly what MobileFuture says in their annual recap video, published on Thursday. Tablets, smartphones, 4G and mobile apps are no longer just for early adopters and geeks; all of these topics come up in mainstream consumer conversation as well as daily life. Have a peek at the fast-paced and entertaining video recap to see the staggering impact mobile technology had in 2011.

Some key datapoints that jumped out at me:

  • The number of Facebook Mobile users jumped 166 percent the first half of 2011.
  • 26 photos are shared via Instagram — an iOS exclusive app for now — every second.
  • 8 trillion texts will be sent this year, a jump from last year’s 1.1 trillion.
  • An 1,800 percent jump in U.S. mobile bandwidth demand is expected within four years.

Mobile, of course, will be a hot, growing trend for years to come, but after watching this industry develop over the past dozen years or so, I’m in agreement with MobileFuture: 2011 is the year mobile really came of age.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

  • The future of Wi-Fi in the enterprise
  • Connected world: the consumer technology revolution
  • From car to cloud: the future of the in-vehicle app landscape



GigaOM