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Welcome to the Weekend Web

May 29, 2008 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

Business Week:

When they use their mobile phones to go online, Americans flock to different sites than when they surf from their computers. Meet the mobile Web.

Welcome to the weekend Web, where people are spending a bigger slice of time online via wireless devices—and using a different set of sites than during the workweek. "At Google, we see the majority of our desktop traffic [in the U.S.] during weekdays," says Matt Waddell, chief of staff for Google Mobile. "On mobile, the situation is completely reversed." Mobile browsing surged 89% in the past year, with mobile page views increasing by 127%. The increase reflects growing availability of all-you-can eat data plans and increasingly sophisticated handheld devices such as the Apple iPhone.

Lots of U.S. cell phone users flock to a different set of sites via handheld. Many swarm Craigslist, the local classified ad site. In March, users spent more time on Craigslist than on any other site. "Very few Web sites are inherently local; ours is the exception," says Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster. When it comes to sites visited from a PC, Yahoo! properties hold the No. 1 spot, while Craigslist is way down in ninth place.

Electronic commerce site eBay is No. 2 in time spent on mobile, while it's only No. 8 on the PC Web. The Weather Channel gets the fourth-highest number of unique visits on the mobile Web, but it's way down the rankings at No. 26 on the PC Web.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that "mobile will be a larger business than the PC Web." Google will get plenty of competition from other companies eager to generate sales from wider use of mobile Web access.

I browse RSS feeds via Google Reader exclusively on the iPhone; in fact, I've only accessed the service on the PC to configure feeds. Other mobile sites I access regularly on the iPhone include a local sushi restaurant menu (about twice a week) and the New York Times mobile site. But that's about it. Email triage is a bigger draw, but I definitely access different sites on the iPhone.

Discuss this Article 15

daProject
on May 29, 2008
Paul, have you tried the new beta version of Google Reader for the iPhone? It's stunning. www.googl.com/reader/i
tayme
on May 30, 2008
This makes perfect sense and doesn't really surprise me. That is the object of mobile browsing, isn't it? To find something to do with where you are or where you are going? What does surprise me is "When it comes to sites visited from a PC, Yahoo! properties hold the No. 1 spot..." Now, who was it that was asking why MS wanted to buy Yahoo!? --tayme
Ocean
on May 30, 2008
Apparently this iPhone thing is quite the hot seller. >>I can’t see any reasonable way that the company *can’t* sell 10 million phones this year.<< http://www.macworld.com/article/133636/2008/05/10_million_iphones.html
tayme
on May 30, 2008
@Ocean - This report ignores the expected release of Google's Android platform. That will certainly have an impact on the iPhone's sales...don't you think? --tayme
weedmonk
on May 30, 2008
@Ocean you'll be Nobel Laureate before the iPhone sells 10million by 08.
johnpapola
on May 30, 2008
@tayme... Android isn't going to dent iPhone. it's going to slam WinMo. @Weedmonk... Maybe you're right, but I wouldn't want to be on your side of this bet come Macworld Jan 09. The number one thing holding back iPhone sales is single carrier in the US and lack of 3G abroad. #1 continues to improve as people's contracts expire. #2 will be gone in two weeks. Add in exchange support and what will clearly be the best mobile third party software on the market and I don't see Apple having trouble meeting their goal.
Ocean
on May 30, 2008
The only people hot for Android right now are the tech savvy among us...really...we're the only ones among whom it has any mindshare. For those of you (Paul included) who think the iPhone will fall short of Jobs '08 goal, HOW far do you think it will fall short? Way short? Just miss? What are your estimates?
tayme
on May 30, 2008
@Ocean - "The only people hot for Android right now are the tech savvy among us...really...we're the only ones among whom it has any mindshare." Keep in mind that Google is as much of a press darling as Apple is. It will be well received and get nearly as much hype as the iPhone did. When Google purchased Android a while back, it made the evening new on all 3 US television networks. That is pretty mainstream...not just the tech savvy. @jp - "Android isn't going to dent iPhone. it's going to slam WinMo." Remember, Android is a platform - not a phone. Once it is RTM'd to the hardware vendors, and released supporting most US and international carriers some people that are skipping iPhone due to the AT&T lockin will go with it. I call that a dent in th iPhone sales. Heck, even Apple's US partner for the iPhone - AT&T - is mulling with selling an Android based phone. But, you are probably right...it will mostly take away from WinMo sales. --tayme
Ocean
on May 30, 2008
>>Android is a platform - not a phone.<< Agreed. Are you arguing that Android based phones will outsell the iPhone? You might be right. I think Windows Mobile as a group already does that. But will it cause desire for the iPhone to dry up some? That would depend only 50% on the software, with the rest lying in the hands of the handset makers. Apple has so far trumped their best offerings with its only offering. Why do you think that will change?
johnpapola
on May 30, 2008
"Remember, Android is a platform - not a phone." Yeah we, agree, and that is exactly my point. Phones are obviously bought as much for hardware design and style as software (though touch-screen phones diminish the differences). So people that want the iPhone and it's iTunes syncing ease and it's software aren't likely to change to Android. People that couldn't get the iPhone for the reasons you state were going to get a WinMo phone and will instead go for Android. Don't make the same mistake that the labels make in identifying opportunity costs. Someone unwilling to switch to AT&T was never going to get an iPhone. If they get an Android phone, it's not a lost sale for Apple, it's a lost sale for another Verizon or Sprint phone. Now, I do think Android will compete with iPhone. But the market is big enough for both to coexist. Win Mo is the #1 target of Android and is the most vulnerable to it. This is a major MAJOR thread to Microsoft. As Paul says, WinMo sucks. I just did a commercial for T-Mobile and played with the new Shadow. Nice hardware. Software is trash. Laggy, ugly, complicated trash.
daProject
on May 30, 2008
Google isn't shooting for Apple. They are going point blank for Microsoft by duplicating their model (OS/services with vendor hardware support), but giving them away. Whereas Microsoft typically get around $20 per unit sold with Windows Mobile on it. The likes of HTC who are traditionally WinMob shops will move to Android on some of their models. Apple will be Apple, and aim for the most lucrative 5% of the market.
subzerohitman721
on May 30, 2008
This article doesn't surprise me one bit. I use my mobile to frequent the Supersite when I'm not near my desktop or notebook. Thanks to Sprint's EV-DO network, its very fast and efficient. Do wish we had better browsing but I'm sure thats up and coming. As for iPhone, Apple made its bed and now has to lie in it. It was completely idiotic to lock iPhone to one phone company when the buzz on the phone was deafening. Apple did have the leverage to slowly leak the phone to different mobile phone operators every six months. I'm sure that others would have jumped on there, if Jobs would have allowed the operators to bundle data and voice like Sprint does now. But no, they chose one of the worse operators in my opinion. I had some of the worse service under AT&T/Cingular. My Sprint service in Dallas is far superior no matter what others might say. Also, it was Apple's lack of vision to make a 2.5 G phone when most of the industry was upgrading to 3G. Considering how botched the launch was with the bricking of phones, high costs, one carrier, and the 2.5 G, these are all the reasons why the phone isn't selling as well as analysts have predicted. Thats why Paul says vaunted but slow selling. I won't even go near the iPhone until some fixes are made. Most importantly the sim chips, replaceable battery, and much higher storage. Nobody is disputing that the iPhone is high successful, but this could have been handled way better. Its this same arrogance that clouds Apple that keeps Windows users from switching.
tayme
on May 30, 2008
@Ocean - I don't know if Android will outsell iPhone or not...I am just saying that it will take some iPhone sales away from Apple. To think otherwise is foolish and arrogant. @jp - I think that we agree...for the most part. I was just raising the point that the link posted by Ocean completely ignores the impending release of the iPhone and that I think that is just one of the reasons that Apple will not sell 10 million units in the 2008 calendar year. Are you so sure that some people that didn't get an iPhone because of the AT&T/2.5G limitation will not buy an Android powered phone? Like I said...Google is a media darling as much as Apple is...they have the same "cool" that Apple does...For Apple and their supporters to ignore that does not make sense...unless there is collusion between Apple and Google to harm the competition. But, that couldn't be........................................................................................................................................................................................could it? --tayme
tayme
on May 30, 2008
Oh...and I'm not sure why I care...I use a Blackberry and it does everything I need it to do!!! Have a great weekend, everybody!!! --tayme
johnpapola
on May 30, 2008
"Are you so sure that some people that didn't get an iPhone because of the AT&T/2.5G limitation will not buy an Android powered phone?" Who knows. I know that there are three groups anxious to buy an iPhone that haven't yet. #1. people stuck in a contract. #2. people waiting for the second generation just because that's what they do to be safe. #3. people waiting for more features including 3G. Until Android ships, it's all speculation. But, that macworld link to Jason Snell regarding why he thinks Apple will make it's 10 million this year is a very reasonable post. Android does look promising though. No question. I welcome the competition.

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