Mobile internet will outstrip 'desktop' use by 2014

By 2014, the number of mobile internet users will surpass the number of users browsing the internet via a desktop computer, says a former adviser to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and member of technology panels on the United Nations.

Professor Manuel Castells told a conference on web science at the Royal Society this week that the internet is a "key technology of freedom" for those able to access it, predicting that the planet will achieve "quasi-universal coverage of internet access as my generation fades away". In that time, he said, a "major disparity in the quality of connection around the world is a major issue of policy" for governments to tackle.

The timescale for the shift echoes comments made by John Herlihy, head of global advertising operations at Google, who earlier this year said "In three years time, desktops will be irrelevant", predicting the mass adoption of smartphones.

Speaking about the "phenomenal" societal impact of the emergence of social networks, Castells said the number of users – 500m on Facebook alone – is only at "the tip of the iceberg". "The deepest social transformation of the internet came in the last decade with social networks," he said, adding:

Full story:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/sep/30/mobile-internet-overtake-desktop

he's a wee bit behind the curve. gartner predicted that back in january this year.

Speaking about the "phenomenal" societal impact of the emergence of social networks, Castells said the number of users – 500m on Facebook alone – is only at "the tip of the iceberg". "The deepest social transformation of the internet came in the last decade with social networks," he said,

Is it just good old Luddite me or is there anybody else out there the same who has no interest in Facebook/Tweeting/Etc whatsoever?

Speaking about the "phenomenal" societal impact of the emergence of social networks, Castells said the number of users – 500m on Facebook alone – is only at "the tip of the iceberg". "The deepest social transformation of the internet came in the last decade with social networks," he said,

Is it just good old Luddite me or is there anybody else out there the same who has no interest in Facebook/Tweeting/Etc whatsoever?

Well there is me but I must confess I do have a Facebook account that I look at every 2 or 3 weeks to keep in touch with a couple of old friends in the UK.