Mobile is local

M:Metrics is reporting that mobile search is up 68% for the month of June, 2008.  Penetration is still only in the 9% range of all subscribers, but we know that is rapidly climbing as well – driven in large part by the success of the iPhone.

In a world of flat all-you-can-eat fees, it isn’t surprising that mobile search is on the rise.  What I find more interesting than the raw numbers is the story behind them.  For it is “what” people are searching upon that gives us clues as to what the future holds.  According to one article I found, mobile searches tend to be around “maps, weather, and local info”.

At the end of the day I don’t see search as we currently know it dominating the mobile market.  But clues for what will emerge out of it can be found in the behavior of today’s users.  Far more than the desktop Internet, mobile is personal and local.  And it is cracking that nut that will drive the mobile experience of tomorrow.