35% of American Adults Own a Smartphone

One Quarter Use Their Phone for Most of Their Online Browsing

A new Pew Research Center study, the Pew Internet & American Life Project, finds that 35% of American Adults own a smartphones. There May survey found 83% of U.S. Adults have a cell phone and that 42% of them own a smartphone or 1/3 of all adults.

Smartphone adoption is highest among the affluent and well-educated, the (relatively) young, and non-whites. Several groups have higher than average levels of smartphone adoption, including:
• The financially well-off and well-educated — 59% of adults living in a household earning income of $75,000 or more are smartphone owners; 48% of those with a college degree own smartphones.
• Those younger than age 45 — 58% of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 now own a smartphone as do 49% of those ages 18-24 and 44% of those ages 35-44. Even among those with a household income of $30,000 or less, smartphone ownership rates for those ages 18-29 are equal to the national average.
• African-Americans and Latinos — 44% of blacks and Latinos are smartphone users.
• Urban and suburban residents are roughly twice as likely to own a smartphone as those living in rural areas, and employment status is also strongly correlated with smartphone ownership.

Mobile phones are a main source of internet access for one-quarter of the smartphone population
Some 87% of smartphone owners access the internet or email on their handheld, including two-thirds (68%) who do so on a typical day. When asked what device they normally use to access the internet, 25% of smartphone owners say that they mostly go online using their phone, rather than with a computer. While many of these individuals have other sources of online access at home, roughly one third of these “cell mostly” internet users lack a high-speed home broadband connection.

Smartphone owners under the age of 30, non-white smartphone users and smartphone owners with relatively low income and education levels are particularly likely to say that they mostly go online using their phones.

Android is the most common smartphone platform, followed by iPhone and Blackberry devices
Phones operating on the Android platform are currently the most prevalent type of smartphone, followed by iPhones and Blackberry devices.

Demographically, Android phones are especially common among young adults and African-Americans, while iPhones and Blackberry devices are most prevalent among college graduates and the financially well-off.

Read the full report for an in-depth look at the demographics of smartphone owners and how they use their devices at pewinternet.org.

Smartphone Definition:
A smartphone owner includes anyone who falls into either of the following two categories:
• One-third of cell owners (33%) say that their phone is a smartphone.
• Two-in-five cell owners (39%) say that their phone operates on a smartphone platform (these include iPhones and Blackberry devices, as well as phones running the Android, Windows or Palm operating systems).

July 11, 2011 in Blog   |   No Comments

Apple iPad accounts for more than 25 percent of U.S. Mobile Web Usage

The latest research from NetMarketShare shows just how dominate Apple is when it comes to mobile web access and consumption. Their latest research shows that more than 1 percent of all Internet browsing is now done on an iPad and in the US, over 2% of overall browsing.

Apple’s iPhone is the number one way Americans are accessing the mobile Web. Put another way, Apple owns over 60% of mobile web browsing. Considering that the iPad is just over a year old, it is shocking how quickly people have gravitated to using it for daily mobile web consumption. Apple has connected today’s mobile consumers to the web better than anyone.

The iPhone took the top ranking, accounting for 35.2 percent of the U.S mobile Web browsing market share, the iPad at 25.5% of mobile web browsing, followed by Android devices, with a 31.6% share.

In June, ComScore reported that the Apple iPad accounts for 97 percent of all tablet traffic in the U.S., despite the entrance of highly anticipated competitors like the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, BlackBerry PlayBook, the HP TouchPad and others.

According to comScore, Android-based tablets took up only 0.6 percent of all tablet traffic, while “other” tablets (in other words, the PlayBook), took up 0.1 percent.

Additional research from Net Applications shows that in the US, smartphones and tablets accounted for 8.2 percent of all browsing activities during June. Apple’s iOS-based iPhone and iPad, which run Safari, accounted for a combined five percent share of the U.S. browser market.

Android-based smartphones commanded 2.6 percent of the U.S. browser market, according to Net Applications. By contrast, Research In Motion’s BlackBerry platform accounted for only a 0.57 percent share.

BOTTOM LINE: Mobile web usage is growing quickly with the continued increases in smartphone and tablet sales (mainly the iPad). What’s your mobile strategy? Let QWASI help your organization discover the power of mobile.

July 10, 2011 in Blog   |   No Comments

Consumers to Spend $2.1 Trillion on Digital Information and Entertainment Products and Services in 2011 Worldwide

Gartner Research firm has found that consumers are on track to spend a record $2.1 trillion on digital information and entertainment products this year. That figure is expected to hit $2.8 trillion by 2015. $1.2 trillion — 62% — is spent on subscription-based communication services such as mobile, voice, and data services, broadband packages, video services, online gaming, and cable TV subscriptions.

28% of that total $2.1 trillion or $600 billion is spent on devices themselves, and 10% is spent on content such as computer software, video on-demand, and pay-per-view services. “The three key technology areas that will offer the best opportunity for vendors during the next three years are:

1) Wireless Broadband – which will enable constant connectivity;
2) Location-based services (LBS) - which will personalize and take advantage of the constant connected state; and
3) Operating systems – which are the foundation for integration applications that can bring it all together.

The total consumer spend is expected to increase to $2.8 trillion by 2015, according to Gartner, Inc. Worldwide consumer spending on digital information and entertainment products and services is projected to reach $2.1 trillion in 2011.

The trend among vendors to offer a diversified portfolio of products and/or services puts them in a better position to seize a larger share of the consumer wallet. Gartner defines consumer wallet spending as the money spent by consumers for digital technology devices and services that are for accessing, consuming and creating content. This wallet is divided into three basic spending types — content, devices and services.

“While a vendor can be a leader in specializing within just one segment of the consumer wallet, there are a mounting number of examples that suggest diversification may be the optimal path forward in the consumer electronics industry,” said Amanda Sabia, principal research analyst at Gartner. “Vendors that diversify their offerings across multiple consumer spending segments earn revenue across the full ecosystem and take legacy services to transform to newer products and services.”

“There are two basic strategies that vendors have used to capture consumer spending that will enable their interconnected consumer experience,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal research analyst at Gartner. “The first is to concentrate in one consumer spending segment, and the second is to diversify into other consumer spending segments.”

“The challenge to vendors choosing to be hyper-focused on one wallet spending segment is the relentless pursuit of innovation required to maintain segment sales leadership in this one specific segment,” Ms. Kitagawa said.

“Technology innovation opens windows of opportunity for vendors to consider diversification,” said Ms. Kitagawa. “However, technology innovation also opens a window for change among consumers to switch vendors in the pursuit of cost savings or lifestyle-changing technology.”

“The three key technology areas that will offer the best opportunity for vendors during the next three years are: wireless broadband, which will enable constant connectivity; location-based services (LBS), which will personalize and take advantage of the constant connected state; and operating systems, which are the foundation for integration applications that can bring it all together.”

Additional information is available in the Gartner report “Market Trends: Diversification Trends Capture More of Consumer Technology Spending.” The report presents what products and services make up the consumer wallet, and a high-level analysis of the varying strategies to capture that spending within and among the various segments.

June 28, 2011 in Blog   |   No Comments

Mobile Video Usage Continues Climbing

It’s not a mystery, but it is still of interest to those of us who watch trends: Mobile users steadily continue to discovery mobile video on their cell phones.

A recent study by Nielsen shows that the number of mobile video users continued to grow along with their time spent watching video. However, the population remains small – for now.

PEOPLE WATCHING MOBILE VIDEO
According to Nielsen, during the 2nd Quarter, 22 million people watched mobile video on their mobile devices – a 43% increase. That represents about 10% of all mobile phone users, which stands at 229.4 million during the 2nd Quarter of this year — a number that has climbed 4% over a year ago.

MONTHLY TIME SPENT WATCHING MOBILE VIDEO
The time spent among mobile subscribers watching video over each month was 3:37 minutes (three hours thirty-seven minutes) – a gain of 11.3% over the previous year. That is 22 more minutes in the second quarter 2010 versus the second quarter 2009.

BIGGEST USERS OF MOBILE VIDEO
The largest group of mobile subscribers were teens 13-17, racking up 7:13 minutes (seven hours and 13 minutes) a month of video; 18-24 users were next, with 4:20; followed by 25-34 users with 3:37; 35-49 users at 2:53; adults 50-64 at 2:10; those 65 and older, 1:48; and persons 13 years and older (the entire mobile population) at 3:37.

Looking at overall share among each group, 25-54 users comprised 30% of all video usage; 35-49 was next, at 25%; then 13-17 users, 18%; 18-24 users, 15%; 50- to-64-year-olds, 11%; and 65-plus, 2%.

Overall, men use mobile video more than women — 55% to 45%. However, that too is shifting to 50/50 as does most technology patterns as they become widely adopted.

BOTTOM LINE:

As more smart phones hit the market such as iPhones, Androids and Win7 devices, so will the adoption of mobile video. Intermediary devices and tablets will also fuel “mobile” video usage as a higher percent of computer viewing moves from the desktop and laptop into consumers hands.

Read More: State of the Media Report (click here)

December 9, 2010 in Blog   |   No Comments

World Cup SMS Interaction high during TV Broadcasts

For many years, our team at QWASI has always wondered how text messaging (SMS) interacts with live sporting events on a large scale. We know from focus groups and polling that customers text while watching TV. Today, consumers multi-task online and mobile while watching TV. And texting is a large draw. Why?

SMS is interactive. It’s two-way. It builds community and connects people. With a huge sporting event that rivals the Olympics in viewership worldwide, the World Cup soccer tournament (football for all of you in the UK), brings together people of many countries together huddle around their TV (online and mobile) – so getting data on texting usage for this event is like a kid in a candy store.

Here’s what our friends at FlowingData had to share. They received data from O2, a popular UK mobile service provider that shows texting volume during the World Cup and highlights the points of interest for UK Cell Phone customers. England scored a goal and lit up the texts – Goooooooooooal.

Here’s a similar response during Rooney’s rant at the games.

Bottom Line: Texting proves the go-to medium to share in the ups and downs… the points on net and the points on your team… The same holds true while tuning into shows in the US. Nothing has been published on this scale, so this is great insight into how people are still human – they love to communicate. And SMS is just that – interactive.

June 29, 2010 in Blog   |   No Comments