Smartphone users conquering the planet

A Pew Research Center survey  has found that 46 percent of American adults are smartphone owners, a finding that has dramatic implications for society as a whole. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Americans are part of a rapid, worldwide trend. Within a few years, about 6 billion of all people on the planet will own cellular phones, and nearly all of them will be smartphones. The level of empowerment this portends is astounding. From the hyper-connected executive in the urban office to the Bedouin traveler in the desert, both will be instantly connected by what are literally personal computers that fit in the palm of the hand. 

The Pew Survey specifically found that 88 percent of all Americans own cell phones and 53 percent of those are smartphone owners. This means smartphone owners now outnumber all other phone users. 

And those numbers are growing. Every demographic group, even senior citizens, have experienced an uptick in smartphone adoption and use. 

Young adults, are the predominant users of these devices, particularly those with household incomes above $75,000. Seniors have the lowest adoption rate, just 13 percent of those ages 65 and above, own a smartphone.

Around the world, the adoption rates are on the rise. For example, in India, more than two-thirds of the population uses mobile phones. 

Already, smartphones have gone from calling and messaging devices to personal computers that users carry in their pockets or purses. Today, they are streaming media and gaming platforms. Thanks to emerging technology, they can also serve as point-of-sale devices. Many predict the smartphone will soon replace your wallet. Smartphones can even be used to remotely control your home thermostat, even when you're on the road.

As iPads and tablets become ubiquitious alongside smartphones, the whole world is going mobile. To keep pace with changes, nearly every firm is developing mobile versions of their websites and applications that allow smartphone users to interact with their businesses. 

Catholic Online recently announced the development of its app for the iPhone and iPad, with an android version to follow later in 2012. 

In fact, companies must go mobile, or they risk losing market share to competitors who do. 
Today, people are replacing their desktop computers with smartphones as they look to pass the time during their commutes, or when waiting their turn. One need only spend a few moments in public to see that more people appear to be interacting with their phones than with one another. 

In the workplace, the smartphone is providing expert slackers with unfiltered access to the internet, access that allows them to escape the sometimes draconian monitoring systems imposed by their corporate management. 

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The Pew study only serves to confirm what many have suspected for some time. Smartphones are becoming a major component in the modern technological marketplace. Smartphones are changing the world, and will continue to do so as their capabilities and adoption rates improve. 

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