There’s a profound shift in computing happening across the world, but it’s hard to see if you live in a Western country.
For most Internet users in the West, their first experience with the Internet (were/was) through a desktop browser running on a PC. That experience (means/mean) the desktop web still sees extremely high use rates today in places where PCs dominate, like the U.S. and Western Europe. But globally, the computing world (is moved/is moving) away from PCs and desktop web.
Instead, the balance of power is shifting to smartphones. They (will/do) be the future of how most people experience the Internet.
If you want a glimpse into that future, look no further than China, where hundreds of millions of young consumers (have/are) growing up with the mobile Internet instead of the desktop variety. China’s real Internet population is people born after 1985. They (grew/grown) up with the Internet. They live with it. They (uses/use) it for shopping, entertainment.
As for people who (is/were) born before 1985, it is hard to convince them to move away from ingrained habits. They still shop at brick and mortar stores rather than spend their money online.
Young Chinese people who grew up with the Internet, especially the mobile Internet, now shop (large/largely) online, particularly using mobile devices. That shift has (yet/already) to happen in Western markets, where the PC is still king. But signs are showing that it’s (coming/came). Amazon (say/said) late last week that 60% of its customers shopped using a mobile device this holiday season, a trend that accelerated as Christmas Day drew closer.
Still, the desktop Internet’s prevalence in the West means Western Internet users still (prefer/pretend) PCs for many tasks. China’s Internet, meanwhile, began on the PC but (go/went) mobile extremely (quickly/quick). Sites like Alibaba, Tencent, Weibo, and many others prioritized mobile efforts over desktop ones largely because of the rapid rise of the mobile Internet over the desktop Internet. Now, as we look (at/for) China, nearly all hardware, software, and services innovations are focused on mobile-first — and often mobile-only.
Here in the U.S., we’re just now (rising/raising) a similar “born mobile” generation — but they haven’t reached a position of power or influence to cause the mobile-first shift to happen as it has in China. But you only have to follow the money to see the future here: Nearly all the interesting and innovative things we see in software and services are happening on mobile — and mobile is home to nearly all the money to be made today in software development. That’s a telltale sign of where we’re going, and we’ll get there (sooner/the soonest) than you might think.
3. Find in the text English equivalents for the following words (Найдите в тексте перевод фраз):
красноречивое свидетельство основательный сдвиг
быстрый взгляд стационарный магазин
уделять первоочередное внимание господство
закоренелые привычки настольный ПК
Grammar Focus
4. Fill in the gaps with the articles if necessary. (Заполните пробелы артиклями, где необходимо)
1) There’s …. profound shift in computing happening across …. world, but it’s hard to see if you live in …. Western country.
2) For most Internet users in ….. West, their …… first experience with ….. Internet was through …… desktop browser running on ….. PC.
3) If you want …. glimpse into that future, look no further than ….. China, where … hundreds of millions of …. young consumers are growing up with ….. mobile Internet instead of …. desktop variety.
4) …. China’s Internet began on …. PC but went mobile extremely quickly.
5) You only have to follow …. money to see …. future here:
6) Nearly all … interesting and innovative things we see in … software and services are happening on mobile — and mobile is ….. home to nearly all ….. money to be made today in software development.
7) That’s ….. telltale sign of where we’re going.