Report: Smartphones, not computers, drive most Facebook use

(CNN) -- According to comScore's new Mobile Metrix 2.0 reportreleased Monday, Facebook's mobile usage is on the rise. In fact, the report revealed that Facebook users spent more time accessing the social network on smartphones than on computers in March.

Facebook users spent an average of 441 minutes — or 7 hours, 21 minutes — accessing the social network via smartphones during the month. By comparison, users spent 391 minutes — or 6 hours, 31 minutes — checking out Facebook on PCs.

The comScore report also revealed that smartphone users spent more time on Facebook than on any other social media network, including Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Foursquare. In fact, Facebook is the second largest mobile property behind Google. The social network garners more than 78 million unique monthly smartphone visitors, 81 percent of which access Facebook through its mobile app.

Besides showing that people spend a good chunk of time on Facebook, the data underscores the importance of a mobile strategy for the social network's business success. Facebook currently makes little revenue from its mobile app — the app doesn't include ads, and only started to include "sponsored posts" in users' news feeds last March.

Facebook admitted its mobile struggles in its recent IPO documents. "If users increasingly access mobile products as a substitute for access through personal computers, and if we are unable to successfully implement monetization strategies for our mobile users," the company writes in its filing documents, "our financial performance and ability to grow revenue would be negatively affected."

In light of these stats, a Facebook smartphone makes all the more sense. The company could capitalize on its mobile leadership position. But because Facebook has not officially made any announcements about its hardware plans, it's unclear when a Facebook phone will actually enter the market. In the meantime, we can hope that the company continues to update its mobile apps.

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