No surprise here as many developers (mobile) have been flocking to the map as a central gateway and UI for their applications. Research out of comscore confirms this and it bodes well for the Geo tech industry and mobile devs. From the findings… The study found that 14 percent of mobile users in the U.S. accessed maps on their devices in April 2010, as the mobile map audience reached 33.5 million users, up 44 percent from the previous year. The study also found that more mobile users now access maps via application than via browser, demonstrating the success of applications in penetrating the mobile map market. Some findings:
- For the three month period ending April 2010, 26 percent of smartphone users accessed maps via applications, while 19 percent accessed maps via browser in a month.
- Smartphone users drove growth in both application and browser map usage with app access nearly tripling to 12.7 million smartphone users
- For the three month period ending April 2010, 33.5 million mobile users accessed maps at least once during a month, an increase of 44 percent from the previous year.
- Among those who accessed maps on their mobile devices, 87.2 percent did so from a car or other vehicle, with 17.2 percent doing so while walking, running or biking, and 16.7 percent while using public transit.