2012 mobile year in review

USA: Mobile Future released the "2012 Mobile Year in Review," a video that takes a rapid-fire tour of the blistering evolution and demand for wireless connectivity in an eventful 2012.

The video highlights unprecedented social media engagement; fast growing demand for and adoption of smarter mobile devices; and the surge of faster mobile networks with accelerated connections.

"From mobile social networking to leading-edge devices and faster service, the 2012 mobile marketplace is a true model of success in today's innovation economy," said Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter . "After another year of profound progress, we can say with confidence our mobile future guarantees greater possibility and unlimited potential."

Key 2012 highlights include:

Unprecedented social media mobile engagement
* Mobile data usage literally doubled in 2012.
* At 31 million tweets the 2012 Presidential Election was the most Tweeted event in history. Six in 10 Americans now want the right to vote – via wireless.
* 10 million photos were shared on Instagram during Thanksgiving 2012 – peaking at 226 pictures per second.
* Over 50 percent of all mobile data was video, and consumers watched 9.3 billion mobile videos in the US alone.

Rapid growth of smarter mobile devices
* More than half of the Americans now own smartphones, and there are over 1 billion smartphones globally.
* Apple sold more mobile devices in 2012 than it sold computers ever.
* iPhone 5 sales alone could single-handedly move the entire $15 trillion US economy by up to half a percent.

Surge of faster mobile networks with accelerated connections
* North America leads the world in next-generation mobile and is home to 69 percent of the world's LTE subscribers.