Smartphone ownership more than doubled between third-quarter 2009 and the same period in 2011, according to Nielsen. In 2009, only 18% of mobile subscribers owned smartphones; in 2011, 44% did. Men made up 55% of smartphone owners in 2009; in 2011, they made up 49%.
Americans ages 25-34 and 18-24 continue to lead smartphone ownership; nearly two thirds of 25-34-year-olds and more than half of 18-24-year-olds owned them in third-quarter 2011.
Android has eclipsed Apple iOS as the leading smartphone operating system. Smartphone owners ages 45-54 are more likely than those in other age groups to use Blackberry devices. Apple iOS users are more likely than Android users to access Facebook on their devices (86% vs. 66%). Google is the top mobile website among both Android and Apple iOS users, used by 92% of each.
Almost half of Android users have downloaded apps in the past 30 days, as have 34% of Apple iOS users. The top two sources for finding new apps are searching the app store (63% each of Apple iOS users and Android users) and recommendations from friends/family (61% of Apple iOS users and 53% of Android users). Fewer than a quarter of app downloaders use any other sources, such as third-party websites, app cross-promotions, ads in other media, etc.
Some 31 million mobile subscribers viewed video on their phones in third-quarter 2011 (84% of them on smartphones), up from 23 million in third-quarter 2010 [calculations by Research Alert].
Source: “The Mobile Media Report: State of the Media, Q3 2011,” Nielsen, Elizabeth Luke, Communications Analyst, Mobile, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003; 646-654-5000; elizabeth.luke@nielsen.com; www.nielsen.com.
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