The oracle of Silicon Valley, Mary Meeker – a partner at Kleiner Perkins – just published her highly anticipated 2015 Internet Trends Report. Meeker's report is the ultimate compilation of essential technology statistics, and is one of the most widely read and respected insights into the future of the Internet and technology trends.
Encompassing everything from smartphone penetration to drones, messaging apps to India as the next Internet penetration growth market, Meeker, in 197 slides, does a deep dive into technology trends and provides an optimistic future for growth, especially in education, government and health care.
The entire report is well worth the time to read, but below we have highlighted some of the key takeaways.
Growth is Mobile and Vertical Screens Rule
The amount of time spent with digital media in the United States is increasing, and almost all of the increase is the result of time spent on mobile devices. The video boom is not going to slow down. Video now accounts for 55 percent of mobile traffic and 64 percent of all consumer traffic.
Mobile Advertising Spending is a $25B+ Opportunity in the United States
Americans spend 24 percent of their time on mobile, but mobile receives only 8 percent of advertising spend. The implication is that as the advertising spend balances out, businesses that build places to host mobile ads could absorb massive revenue.
Re-Imaging Everything
Enterprise software is changing – email to Slack, cash registers to Square, insurance brokers to Zenefits, background checks to Checkr's API. On-demand services are skyrocketing as consumers demand and can get anything in less than an hour: taxis, hot meals, groceries.
Messaging Dominates
Six of the top 10 apps used globally are messaging apps. Messaging and Notifications are the key layers of every meaningful mobile app. Each of the leaders in this space, Line, WeChat, SnapChat, Viber, KakaoTalk, Facebook Messenger, are creating cross-platform operating systems that are context persistent and communication hubs for more and more services.
The Drones Are Coming
The 167 percent year-over-year increase in consumer drone sales shows lots of hobbyists, photographers, and others are embracing drones. But it is drone companies like DJI and Airware that are building out drone systems that can save commercial businesses tons of money by replacing helicopters, planes, satellites and dangerous human jobs. Despite regulatory obstacles, drone usage is growing. France and Britain are in a tie for first, given the option to fly commercial drones outside of an operator's line of sight. This is a crucial for drone delivery services to become a reality. Canada, with its tiered rules that include fewer restrictions on small, lightweight drones, is No. 2. Australia, Japan, the United States and China take spots three through six, respectively.
Cyber Attacks are Growing Bigger and Faster
Not surprisingly, mobile devices plan an increased role in security breaches. The increase of adware has resulted in people's personal data becoming more ubiquitous and easier for hackers to seize. The stats tell an important story regarding important weaknesses – more than 20 percent of breaches come directly from insiders with malicious intent, and almost 70 percent of breaches are not detected by the companies that suffered them, but by outsiders.
This article is presented for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice.
