Smartphones and tablets account for more than 20% of US internet use

web usage
Apple's iPad constitutes 95% of tablet internet usage

As mobile devices like smartphones and tablets continue to become increasingly powerful, more and more consumers are using them to browse the web instead of traditional computers.

A new study from online ad network Chitika finds that smartphones and tablets make up more than 20 percent of web traffic in the U.S., with the lion's share coming from Apple devices like the iPad, iPhone 4S and iPod Touch.

Of those surfing the internet in the U.S., smartphone users account for 14.6 percent and tablet users make up 5.6 percent.

And Apple's devices make up 72 percent of that smartphone traffic (with Android coming in second at 26 percent), while Apple's iPad takes a whopping 95 percent of tablet traffic.

Mobile web browsing reportedly reaches a high point in the evening, when nine-to-fivers hit the couch and distract themselves with iPads and smartphones.

Browsing with Windows increases

Chitika's analysis also found that Windows Phones are increasingly used for web browsing, now comprising as much as a third of what Blackberry users surf.

And when it comes to "old-fashioned" computers, roughly 85 percent of internet use comes from Windows PCs, while Mac OS X comes in at 13 percent.

Mobile web usage will likely continue to increase as smartphones and tablets continue to grow in power.

Experts did not immediately respond to TechRadar's requests for comment.

Via All Things D

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.