Mobile internet is not just for smartphones, Gartner says-- cellular-embedded mobile PC, tablet and mobile hot spot device shipments are up by 5.6% to 112 million in 2015 as demand for always-on internet connectivity drives further adoption.
"Mobile access is not just about smartphones," the analyst remarks. "Consumers and business users alike want to connect multiple mobile devices to the Internet at an affordable cost or at an acceptable data rate."
The growing number of non-smartphone devices-- and resultant connection needs-- represent, of course, an opportunity for vendors, retailers and telcos. Some companies are even going for collaborations, such as the case of HP, Qualcomm and T-Mobile, who offer a 200MB of free data monthly with the 4G-enabled HP Stream Book 13.
Global cellular-embedded mobile PC (notebooks and premium ultramobiles) should grow from 1.8m to 4.9m from 2014 through 2019, with penetration growing from 1.3% to 2.7% of total mobile PCs. Such totals should remain relatively low, as the majority of mobile PCs find desk-based use, and such tend to have fixed broadband access. However Gartner points out an opportunity in premium ultramobiles, which tend to be preferred by frequent travellers willing to pay extra for easy internet access.
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