Mobile Internet-connected devices will outnumber wireline ones in a few years

Sep 12, 2011 13:27 GMT  ·  By

Right now, the majority of Internet devices are still in the realms of cables, but this situation is expected to change during the course of the next several years.

That the IT industry is steadily transitioning to a so-called mobile and wireless age is no longer any real mystery.

In the meantime, PCs and all other products that rely on cables are slowly being left behind, even if they aren't really going to completely disappear any time soon.

Nevertheless, their marketing status is dropping and, with it, so is their reach in every individual segment.

Internet could be said to be going through a transition of its own, from standard setups to wireless ones.

Of course, with all the smartphones and tablets showing up, among other things, this is not really surprising.

Now, IDC revealed that it took it upon itself to see just how long it will take for the face of the Internet industry to change.

Not too long, it turns out, as US Internet users are going to access the web through mobile wireless gadgets more than they will though PCs by the time 2015 comes around.

"Forget what we have taken for granted on how consumers use the Internet," said Karsten Weide, research vice president, Media and Entertainment. "Soon, more users will access the Web using mobile devices than using PCs, and it's going to make the Internet a very different place."

PC Internet adoption will stagnate at first, then slowly drop, as the above-mentioned product categories take off.

Overall, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for mobile Internet users will be of 16.6% between 2010 and 2015.

On a related note, this isn't the only forecast made by IDC which has the year 2015 in its sights, as growth is expected in other fields as well, such as that of intelligent systems.