“The internet contributes to 8.3% of the UK economy, a bigger share than for any of the other G20 major countries, a new study suggests.  The "internet economy" was worth £121bn in 2010, more than £2,000 per person, researchers at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said.  That made it bigger than the healthcare, construction or education sectors.  The UK also carries out far more retail online than any other major economy.  Some 13.5% of all purchases were done over the internet in 2010, according to BCG, and this is projected to rise to 23% by 2016” -- BBC Business News

To be honest...at least 8% of that initial figure is pretty much down to my online shopping addiction ;)

Let’s be honest; a business is hardly a business these days if they don’t have a website.  It doesn’t necessarily need to be an ecommerce site; it can just be a brilliant source of information which boasts a great conversion rate leading to loads of sales.  For example, you can’t buy anything directly from our website; but if you are looking for information about who we are and what we do, then it’s a good place to start.

“While only a quarter of those surveyed said they would consider giving up sex for a year in order to maintain their broadband connection, the figures for other vices were much higher. When surveyed about what people would give up in order to keep their broadband connection, “some 65% would give up alcohol, 76% chocolate and 78% coffee”.  Give up chocolate...are they mad?!!

“The folks at StatCounter have been keeping track of the rise of mobile devices. They’re an analytics company, meaning that websites use their service to keep track of how many people viewing their pages. They say that in January 2009 only 0.7% of the web’s traffic moved through a mobile device (tablets don’t count). In January 2012, just three years later, that number has now reached 8.5%.  Looking towards the future, that 8.5% figure will likely double by this time next year; low cost smartphones are certainly going to help that. That begs the question, has the personal computer peaked?” -- IntoMobile

It’s amazing to see what a difference three years makes.  From 2009 where 0.7% of all web traffic coming via a mobile device, to 8.5% in 2012; smartphones have made a huge difference on the way we function on a day-to-day basis.  Since the launch of products like the iPhone, not only is communication easier; but everyday tasks are too - from checking train times and keeping yourself entertained on a long journey with ‘Angry Birds’, to maintaining your direct debits and making dinner reservations; pretty much everything is accessible via your mobile device.

The question posed by IntoMobile is “has the personal computer peaked [as a result of smartphones]?” - and in my opinion, the answer is no.  Personally, I’m an Apple girl - and even though I love my iPhone, I still couldn’t do without my iPad.  And on top of that, I still need my laptop or desktop as there are still things that tablets can’t do - even just being able to touch type for example.  I use my iPhone as more of a ‘top up’ - it’s handy when I’m out and about, and have no other option for example when I’m wondering aimlessly around London and need GPS (sadly this happens quite frequently - thank goodness for Googlemaps!)  However, I specifically go to my iPad for information or assistance.  Basically what I’m trying to say is, if I’m at home and want to go online, I don’t instinctually reach for my phone...it’s great as a backup but it’s not a primary device.

As I said; I think it’s all just a matter of personal opinion - those who aren’t lucky enough to have other devices will certainly use a phone as the first port of call (I certainly did before I got my iPad.)  Either way, I don’t think these new figures will spark the death of personal computers and even though the whopping 8.5% figure has increased so much since 2009; we can’t forget about the other 91.5%.

Internet Explorer can no longer claim more than half of the web’s traffic, as of October, ending more than a decade of the default Microsoft browser’s reign. Safari’s hold on 62.17% of mobile traffic has reduced IE’s overall share of web browsing, despite still claiming 52.63% of desktop traffic, according to Netmarketshare.com" -- Zoe Fox for Mashable

I always think it's a good thing when the playing field 'levels out' and there isn't one product totally dominating another.  Internet Explorer has been top dog for a number of years now, so it's good other web browers are combining to decrease the huge percentage difference.  Maintaining a solid figure of 49.6%, Microsoft's IE still keeps the lions share; however Firefox now accounts for 21.2%, closely followed by Google's Chrome (16.6%) and Safari (8.72%).  So what's your browser of choice?  Let us know, or alternatively vote on Mashable - the current favourite is Google's Chrome with over half of the votes!