Mobile device users in China have reached 1.06 billion in 2014, a growth of 231.7%, compared to 2013. Such growth surpasses the rest of the global market, reports the Beijing-based Economic Observer.
The data was released on Jan. 21 from the 2014 Mobile Internet Report, issued by TalkingData, a Beijing-based company that focuses on mobile internet data analysis. The report said nearly 60% of mobile internet users in China were male. People born after 1980 have been the main users and those born after 1990 have become the new driving force.
Big screen devices are more popular than before, especially the 4.5-inch models. As for operating systems, the proportion of Android and iOS platform was 7 to 3, with iOS users updating their systems more frequently than before. Samsung and Xiaomi were the top two brands among the Android platform users.
Android users prefer China Mobile when choosing telecom carries while iOS users prefer China Unicom. Most users get on the internet via Wi-Fi and more users have started to use 4G networks.
Mobile internet has already passed through the early stages of basic communication and social networking. It is now progressing further, entering into the realm of shopping and entertainment, as well as developing more specific applications that can be of use in the medical, education and food & beverage sectors.
The diversification of mobile apps brings convenience to users, which makes online-to-offline (O2O) business more viable as venture capital continues investing in the market.
Social messaging apps remains the top choice among mobile applications while users spend the most time playing mobile games. Apps developed by Tencent including social media, videos, app stores, browsers, and music are the most popular. “360 smartphone helper” was the most downloaded app of 2014, with a penetration of 32.1%.
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