By: Chris Ferneyhough, SVP Technology Practice, Vision Critical

On April 23, 2009 Apple announced that the one-billionth application (commonly referred to as “apps”) had been downloaded from the App Store. This was a significant achievement, as it took only nine months for Apple to hit one-billion app downloads. As a point of comparison, it took three years for Apple to reach one-billion song downloads. This is not a true apples-to-apples comparison (pun unintended) as most song downloads would have been purchased while a significant proportion of app downloads would have been free. Regardless, it certainly makes it very clear that there was a high level of pent-up demand for a more engaging mobile Internet experience.

Those of us who have been tracking technology trends for an extended period of time can remember the promise of the mobile web over a decade ago. However, execution on basic mobile phones in those days was clumsy at best, and the user experience was quite poor – to put it mildly.

But the combination of increased incidence of smartphones, faster wireless networks, and consumers who are becoming increasingly tech savvy – perhaps without even realizing it – is causing a fundamental shift in North American Internet behavior. We are increasingly relying on our mobile devices to engage in activities that were previously limited to the traditional desktop or laptop Internet experience.

As a heavy Internet user who likes to beta test every site out there, the most common request I’ve seen of websites and Internet applications released over the last couple of years is “when will the iPhone/Blackberry/Android be released?” And when the developers of the site don’t have a definitive answer to this question, it reflects poorly on their level of preparedness.

The trend for where this is going is pretty obvious. As per usual all we need to do is cast an eye towards teenagers and how they are engaged with the latest technology. In this case, a recent Pew Internet study found that in early 2008, almost three-in-four American teens (12 to 17) had a mobile phone, compared to 45% in 2004. The net result of the increased usage of mobile phones among teens is a generation of users who have little use (or time) for sitting down at a desktop to send an email when they can simply update their Facebook status on their mobile phone. Download a music file and save it to a hard drive? Why bother? They can simply stream their favorite songs on their smartphone thanks to Pandora and other music streaming apps.

This is not to suggest that the traditional desktop Internet experience is going to disappear anytime soon. Quite frankly, there is still much to be desired about from a mobile Internet experience. And certain categories of Internet user are always going to want the desktop experience (creatives, music downloaders, and gamers come to mind). Plus there is the work aspect to consider – word processing, multitasking, saving/editing and the physiology of a keyboard and mouse will ensure that desktops and laptops maintain a prominent role in the workplace. Consequently, so too will the traditional Internet experience. But don’t be too surprised if a generation from now those who are using the Internet at home on a desktop are looked at the same way as those who refused to upgrade from vinyl to CD. Sure, they have their reasons – but they aren’t relevant for most of us anymore.