opinion

Web 3.0 Progresses as Platforms Merge

Adult content marketers understand the profound impact that technology is having on the business of bawdiness, as consumers demand porn on their computers, telephones and televisions, tablet and other devices. Of course, this evolution does not occur in a vacuum and is echoed across the mainstream media markets as well.

While traditional approaches involve targeting each platform individually, emerging technologies such as HTML5 and widespread Smartphone usage are combining to enable a more cohesive approach to multi-platform publishing.

The need for cross-cultural, as well as cross-platform, offers is also underscored by who is using the latest in technology.

One barometer of this sea change is the move from fixed to mobile Internet access — as evidenced by the shifting patterns of device adoption that have led to iOS and Android uptake faster than any consumer technology in history.

“Compared to recent technologies, smart [devices are] being adopted 10 times faster than that of the 80’s PC revolution, two times faster than that of 90’s Internet Boom and three times faster than that of recent social network adoption,” Peter Farago wrote for analytics firm Flurry.com. “Five years into the smart device growth curve, expansion of this new technology is rapidly expanding beyond early adopter markets such as such as North America and Western Europe, creating a true worldwide addressable market.”

According to Flurry, more than 640 million iOS and Android devices were used in the month of July, 2012, based on data from more than 200,000 applications that it tracks — claiming that it is able to reliably detect in excess of 90 percent of all iOS and Android devices that are active around the world.

Compare this number to the estimated 2,267,233,742 Internet users at the beginning of 2012 and it’s clear that while fixed access remains dominant, the fast-swelling ranks of mobile users is a tide that won’t be turned.

The need for cross-cultural, as well as cross-platform, offers is also underscored by who is using the latest in technology.

While the U.S. remains the market with the most active devices, it is not among the top 10 regions for growth. Compare this to China, with the second largest installed base and the fastest adoption rate, which is growing at an astronomical 400+ percent annually.

Flurry predicts China will overtake the U.S. as the top iOS / Android market this year and also notes that all four BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are among the top 10 growth areas for smart devices, due to their strengthening economies.

“Enabled by digital distribution across the unprecedented growing base of iOS and Android smart devices, global software distribution has never been so frictionless,” Farago stated. “After building an application, a development team can distribute its app on Android instantaneously and, after review by Apple, can be in the App Store within roughly one week.”

Adult operators can enjoy similar opportunities through a variety of portals and quick-to-market outlets, spreading the word via social media and embracing the next generation of Internet usage paradigms — reaching customers wherever they may be.

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