Granted, there have been millions of smartphones and tablets shipped since April 2012. But even so, market research firm Deloitte, predicts that for 2013, more than 80 percent of all the surfing on the Web will still be done on desktop and laptop PCs, according to Jolyon Barker, managing director of global technology, media and telecommunications at Deloitte.
Put another way: Sure, there are plenty of people on smartphones tagging the Net for a minute or so while waiting online for their latte at Starbucks. But any serious and substantial use of the Web will continue to be overwhelmingly done on desktops and laptops.
Bottom line: The next time a Web designer shows up at your office promising to build you a state-of-the-art, responsive website that will deliver a “consistent and optimized user experience across the wide variety of devices and platforms that Web surfers use,” make sure you read the fine print.
One consolation: If you’re reading that fine print on a responsive website, it’ll be the size of a wooly mammoth.
Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.joedysart.com.
