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There are now 4 billion smartphones on Earth (only 3.9 billion with cracked screens)
An analytics report claims that half of the planet's population owns a smartphone
The last decade or so of worldwide culture has been defined by one thing: immediate and growing access to data. The biggest change is, of course, the shift from old-fashioned cell phones to smartphones, giving users in every geographical and economic niche access to the width and breadth of the internet everywhere they go. A recent analytical report has put that cultural shift into clear focus: half the people on the planet now own a smartphone.
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There has been a big push to improve internet access and make it easier to view online content in NBU markets (Next Billion Users) in recent years. Google's latest Chrome feature also has this in mind, as it will download relevant news articles automatically while connected to WiFi so the user can view them later when only a less reliable data connection or none at all is available.