It's difficult to accept this on the face of it: the iPhone's share of mobile Internet usage is roughly 10 times larger than its nearest smartphone rival, Windows Mobile. That's according to Net Applications.

There should be some gains in the coming quarters by Android, BlackBerry, Palm (via the Pre) and Windows Mobile. But, if these numbers are correct, the lead that the iPhone holds right now is dramatic.

Source: Net Applications (3/09)

Part of this is device usability and part of this is self-selection. People buy the iPhone in part to access the mobile Internet -- and then they do.

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Related: In-Stat forecasts that smartphones will capture 20% of the US handset market by 2013. Right now they're about 13% (ish). I think that more "feature phones" will gain smartphone capabilities and we'll actually see higher penetration than In-Stat is predicting.

By the same token I think the ceiling for smartphone penetration in the US is about 40% in the medium term. But there will be other mobile devices that enable users to access the Internet that may take over for smartphones in some demographic segments.