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Apps are the Internet portal of choice for U.S. mobile consumers.
According to Nielsen, time spent in mobile apps continues to dwarf mobile Web engagement. As of August 2012, minutes spent per month in mobile apps was 4.6 times that of the mobile Web, up from a multiple of 2.7 in March 2011.
Between March 2011 and August 2012, consumer time spent in mobile apps grew 200 percent compared to 75 percent growth for the mobile Web.
The reason for the disparity seems pretty straightforward: The biggest time buckets on mobile are best accessed through apps.
Games, the most popular mobile activity by time spent, are almost exclusively accessed through apps.
Social networking, the second most popular activity, is likewise an app-driven phenomenon.
The mobile Web is not as conducive to browsing as the desktop Web. The screen is smaller, the interface clunkier, the overall experience less optimized for casual surfing and serendipity. Mobile Web browsers are most effective with intent: You get in, you get what you need, and you get out.
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