According to the China Internet Network Information Center, the overall penetration rate of China’s Internet has grown steadily to 42.1% since the end of 2012, with the majority of growth coming from mobile devices. At the current rate, the total number of Internet users in China will reach 800 million by 2015. Presently, 591 million Internet users reside in China, and 464 million of them are categorized as mobile users, which means that 78.5% of Internet users use a smart device when online. With a lot of recent talk about shifting advertising to mobile, these numbers lend credence to the opinion that mobile is expanding rapidly, and that companies ought to keep a close eye on the category.
Tag: Mobile Computing
Watching Mobile Ads Could Earn Free Data
Boston-based startup Aquto is working with mobile carriers to offer additional mobile Internet data – in exchange for consumers’ engagement with brands. If users watch specific ads, or try a new app on a mobile device, the user will be rewarded with a data boost of up to several gigabytes through the user’s cell carrier. Marketers could work directly with Aquto or its ad network partners to present ads via its Kickbit iOS/Android app – or on third-party sites and apps. As users move away from unlimited cell plans, this model might provide a viable incentive for maintaining engagement across platforms. Aquto is starting the service later this year, beginning with eligible Vodafone subscribers in Europe.
Appglu Keeps Apps Fresh Without Developer Intervention
Without updates after release, Apps have a tendency to decay. Across the board, the trend is clear: the initial launch of the app attracts a large number of users, many of whom then drop off. Part of the reasoning behind this drop is that the app becomes stagnant quickly; but the real problem is the only person who can make updates is the developer, who oftentimes takes too long to act. AppGlu aims to eliminate this Catch-22 by making updates to apps from a business, rather than a developing, perspective; it shifts the responsibility of app maintenance to business-savvy managers without tasking the developer to make new frameworks or sweeping technical shifts. Developers can build new aspects of the software from within the AppGlu platform using their own code, while the AppGlu team runs in the background maintaining the fresh face of the product and, ideally, keeping fickle users interested.
