Mobile devices surpass computers for Wi-Fi usage
updated 06:25 pm EDT, Tue June 21, 2011
iOS devices represent nearly half of Wi-Fi traffic
Mobile devices have reportedly surpassed computers in terms of Wi-Fi usage in the US for the first time since 2010, according to data collected by wireless networking company Meraki. In the first half of last year, Windows and Mac machines represented 64 percent of the devices that accessed Wi-Fi networks monitored by Meraki. Transitioning to the same period in 2011, however, computers were responsible for just 36 percent of Wi-Fi connectivity.
In the same period of time, Apple's iOS devices surged from 36 percent of the network presence up to 47 percent. Android-based devices jumped from just one percent to 11 percent, while mobile devices as a category increased from 37 percent to 58 percent of Wi-Fi usage.
During the first half of this year, the iPhone took the largest share of presence on Wi-Fi networks tracked by Meraki. The device represented nearly a third of connections, while Windows-based machines fell from 43 percent to less than a quarter.
The Meraki study was said to involve more than 100,000 devices that connected to general use, public or educational Wi-Fi networks across the US. [via GigaOM]
