Mobile Google map queries to overtake those from desktop PCs

The number of Google map queries that come from mobile search devices will permanently overtake those made from desktop computers by next week.

That’s according to Marissa Mayer, vice president of Google, who was making the comments during an interview at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in New York last week.

Meyer is in charge of location and local services at the search engine.

The trend indicates the increased use of smartphones and tablets across the world.

To date, the Google Maps app has been downloaded onto 200 million mobile devices, Mayer said.

The app is designed to help people get directions to places and to familiarise themselves with the surroundings before they arrive there.

She revealed that around 40% of all map-related searches that come onto Google come from mobile devices, and that on weekends that figure rises to more than 50% – a figure that Meyer thought was “really high”.

Mayer is also responsible for Google Places, which allows surfers to rate local establishments. She said that around 20% of all Google searches are for places that are local to the user, but that figure rises to 40% on mobile phones.

She refused to reveal the percentage of Google searches overall that come from mobile devices.