US Smartphone adoption hits 31%, Android, RIM, iOS evenly tied

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
A Nielsen survey indicates that at the end of 2010, nearly a third of US mobile users had smartphones, with the installed base evenly tied between Apple, RIM, and Android licensees.



Racial profiling



The Nielsen report focused on racial demographics, noting that just 27 percent of whites owned a smartphone, while 33 percent of African Americans and 45 percent of both Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics opted for a mobiles with "app-based, web-enabled operating systems."



That difference was was related to demographic populations that "tend to skew younger." Among all groups, smartphone use is on the rise.



Recent buyers who acquired a new phone in the last six months were even more likely to have chosen a smartphone, with 42 percent of whites, 44 percent of African Americans, 56 percent of Hispanics and 60 percent of Asian/Pacific Islanders upgrading to a smartphone.











Platforms



Over the past year, Nielsen charted a relatively steady 27 percent market share average for Apple's iPhone, while RIM's BlackBerry fell from a high of 39 percent--and Android licensees collectively rose from a starting point in the single digits--to almost perfectly begin 2011 alongside Apple with equal 27 percent shares of the US market.







When only looking at recent adopters, Apple's market share continues to remain very flat over the past year, dipping most just before the launch of iPhone 4.



RIM's losses began to show about the same time, six months after Verizon shifted its smartphone marketing muscle from BlackBerry to Android. Meanwhile, Android adoption began to surge into the void left by BlackBerry.







Whether Android's accelerating adoption is a trend, or simply the result of Verizon's year long focus on the platform as its best hope for an iPhone contender, remains to be seen. Verizon is expected to aggressively shift its resources toward iPhone 4 beginning later this month. About half of all US Android phones are on Verizon.



Meanwhile, AT&T is preparing to direct more attention to Android to make up for lost exclusivity of the iPhone, while T-Mobile and Sprint are banking heavily on new Android models to help them sell data contracts on their new networks now being built out. Verizon is also planning to launch Android models capable of using its LTE data network in the second half of the year.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 33
    I'm not sure how to interpret the race / ethnic demographic information. Whites are apparently at the bottom, a minority, in this case. The Wall Street Journal also had a story about race / ethnic relationships and mobile devices earlier today, also. See this story:





    Nielsen - Ethnic Minorities More Likely Than Whites to Buy Smartphones (Via the Wall Street Journal):

    http://mobilized.allthingsd.com/2011...D_yahoo_ticker





    AppleInsider's first graphic / chart in the story is here:

    http://photos.appleinsidercdn.com/smart...ethnicity1.png





    Anyone have any insight, or know how to interpret this information? Also, why are the groups represented the way that they are? I'm not sure how to understand this (taking into account things such as education, employment and affluence).
  • Reply 2 of 33
    Boy! It sure didn't take long for Android to catch up to, and maybe even surpass the iPhone, did it?
  • Reply 3 of 33
    rainrain Posts: 538member
    SELL SELL SELL
  • Reply 4 of 33
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by justbobf View Post


    Boy! It sure didn't take long for Android to catch up to, and maybe even surpass the iPhone, did it?



    But "surpass" Apple in share with what, exactly? A lot of it is pretty bad junkware. Anyone can sell crap if it's priced cheaply enough. Just look at netbooks.
  • Reply 5 of 33
    mac_dogmac_dog Posts: 1,069member
    is this with the fudged numbers or not?
  • Reply 6 of 33
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Digital_Guy View Post


    I'm not sure how to interpret the race / ethnic demographic information. Whites are apparently at the bottom, a minority, in this case. The Wall Street Journal also had a story about race / ethnic relationships and mobile devices earlier today, also. See this story:





    Nielsen - Ethnic Minorities More Likely Than Whites to Buy Smartphones (Via the Wall Street Journal):

    http://mobilized.allthingsd.com/2011...D_yahoo_ticker





    AppleInsider's first graphic / chart in the story is here:

    http://photos.appleinsidercdn.com/smart...ethnicity1.png





    Anyone have any insight, or know how to interpret this information? Also, why are the groups represented the way that they are? I'm not sure how to understand this (taking into account things such as education, employment and affluence).



    Really?...



    Whites are the new minority...
  • Reply 7 of 33
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    But "surpass" Apple in share with what, exactly? A lot of it is pretty bad junkware. Anyone can sell crap if it's priced cheaply enough. Just look at netbooks.



    What's wrong with Netbooks? I have an excellent Lenovo IdeaPad that I purchased for $150. For the price, it's excellent value for money. I used it a heck of a lot more than my iPad. Which is why I still have the netbook and don't have the ipad anymore.
  • Reply 8 of 33
    rainrain Posts: 538member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mac_dog View Post


    is this with the fudged numbers or not?



    It's hard to interpret any of this data independently.

    Hard to determine market share with a market that is growing/changing/fluctuating daily.



    It's a safe bet that Androids near vertical growth isn't going to stop dead and level out tomorrow.

    Now you know why Steve was trembling with rage regarding Google competing against them.

    Job's got snowed again.

    Uncanny the similarities from the 80's and now isn't it.
  • Reply 9 of 33
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    I guarantee a significant number of Verizon users give up their Android phone for an iPhone.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rain View Post


    It's a safe bet that Androids near vertical growth isn't going to stop dead and level out tomorrow.

    Now you know why Steve was trembling with rage regarding Google competing against them.

    Job's got snowed again.

    Uncanny the similarities from the 80's and now isn't it.



  • Reply 10 of 33
    aaronjaaronj Posts: 1,595member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rain View Post


    It's hard to interpret any of this data independently.

    Hard to determine market share with a market that is growing/changing/fluctuating daily.



    It's a safe bet that Androids near vertical growth isn't going to stop dead and level out tomorrow.

    Now you know why Steve was trembling with rage regarding Google competing against them.

    Job's got snowed again.

    Uncanny the similarities from the 80's and now isn't it.



    Are you being sarcastic or serious?



    If you're being serious, then there are a lot of problems with your analysis. The Android platform may be growing, but that doesn't necessarily mean that there are trucks full of profit pulling into LG and Samsung and HTC.



    The billions per quarter in profits from the iPhone alone (let alone the iPad and iTouch) lead me to believe that Apple is probably pretty happy with the way their iOS platform is going.
  • Reply 11 of 33
    as opposed to *oddly* tied?
  • Reply 12 of 33
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by justbobf View Post


    Boy! It sure didn't take long for Android to catch up to, and maybe even surpass the iPhone, did it?



    Yep. Given that it's "FREE" for anyone that wants to build their cheap knockoffs probably has nothing to do with Android OS overtaking everyone soon.
  • Reply 13 of 33
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Digital_Guy View Post


    I'm not sure how to interpret the race / ethnic demographic information. Whites are apparently at the bottom, a minority, in this case. The Wall Street Journal also had a story about race / ethnic relationships and mobile devices earlier today, also. See this story:





    Nielsen - Ethnic Minorities More Likely Than Whites to Buy Smartphones (Via the Wall Street Journal):

    http://mobilized.allthingsd.com/2011...D_yahoo_ticker





    AppleInsider's first graphic / chart in the story is here:

    http://photos.appleinsidercdn.com/smart...ethnicity1.png





    Anyone have any insight, or know how to interpret this information? Also, why are the groups represented the way that they are? I'm not sure how to understand this (taking into account things such as education, employment and affluence).



    I am at a total loss as to:



    -- how these numbers were gathered

    -- how reliable they are

    -- what they are trying to show

    -- what, if anything, they actually show.



    Obviously, some sort of survey was used -- but how large a sample, what were the other demographics, what questions were asked, how were the answers validated...



    I visited the WSJ link and the original report link from the AI article and I find none of these questions addressed... Odd!



    From the site linked below, I found a comment that prompted some thought:



    I highlighted the interesting paragraph and re-quote it here:



    Quote:

    "Also, perhaps more importantly, non-whites often use smart-phones in lieu of desktop or laptop devices. The two, main theories on why this is so: (1) phones are simply more handy/fun to use or (2) subsidized phone contracts are now competitive with - or cheaper than - home devices/service."



    Ethnic breakdowns aside, I wonder if the commenter has identified something I had not considered when thinking about smart phone use and users. He makes 2 points:



    (1) phones are simply more handy/fun to use or

    (2) subsidized phone contracts are now competitive with - or cheaper than - home devices/service.



    There are, likely, at least 3 additional, related, points to be considered:



    (3) the age of the persons surveyed -- I am 71. My middle-aged daughter and 3 teen-aged grandchildren have completely different uses for the device. Simply put, I Talk; My Daughter Talks/Texts; The grandkids: FB/YT/Text/Tweet/Talk/Play Games. I suspect most of those surveyed were younger than 35.

    (4) the social use of the device vs pure communication uses as shown above.

    (5) the possibility that the subsidized
    smart phone satisfies their needs and is the only computing device they use/own for personal activities.



    I have been voicing the theory that tablets will soon replace personal computers for most purposes.



    If the above considerations are accurate, and the upward trend of smart phone usage continues among the younger population -- then the smart phone, not the tablet, will become the personal computer.



    I have used computers since 1956, and personal computers since 1978.



    Today's smart phone certainly has the power and technology to replace the personal computer.



    I am shocked, to think that smart phone uses, as described above, could be sufficient to displace the personal computer.





    Is it true... For what they do... the smart phone is the only device they need/have?





    Quote:

    \t

    NOT RahmEmanuel 55 minutes ago

    Based on what I've read elsewhere (including some reports from Twitter analysts), it looks like a larger percentage of minorities spend more time texting/tweeting than do whites of similar demo. Some analysts say half or more of the top keyword-trends on Twitter come from young blacks.



    Also, perhaps more importantly, non-whites often use smart-phones in lieu of desktop or laptop devices. The two, main theories on why this is so: (1) phones are simply more handy/fun to use or (2) subsidized phone contracts are now competitive with - or cheaper than - home devices/service.



    You can make of this what you will...especially the latter point. But the bottom line seems to be that ethnic minorities, especially younger folks in those groups, are leading the way into our mobile computing future. Seems to me that any tech firms ignoring this trend would do so at great peril.







    http://mobilized.allthingsd.com/2011...D_yahoo_ticker
  • Reply 14 of 33
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post


    I am at a total loss as to:



    -- how these numbers were gathered

    -- how reliable they are

    -- what they are trying to show

    -- what, if anything, they actually show.



    Obviously, some sort of survey was used -- but how large a sample, what were the other demographics, what questions were asked, how were the answers validated...








    Refer to the "n"in the image, next to the month.
  • Reply 15 of 33
    dm3dm3 Posts: 168member
    Daniel is the fox news of the Apple world. Always very opinionated and usually wrong.



    He says, "Verizon is also planning to launch Android models capable of using its LTE data network in the second half of the year."



    Yet, Verizon is planning to start selling the HTC Thunderbolt this month (february) as their first LTE smartphone.
  • Reply 16 of 33
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sciwiz View Post




    Refer to the "n"in the image, next to the month.



    All that shows, apparently, is how many people were counted.



    Were all those contacted, counted? Why, Why not?



    How were they selected -- did the surveyors stand in front of VZ stores, ATT stores or were they contacted by phone.



    How did they verify that they even had a cell phone? The OS? How Old? How long? Their ethnecity?



    Why not their age? Income? Marital status? Other demographics..



    Neilsen is a reputable firm and usually provides extensive background data supporting their surveys,



    Why is none of that shown here?



    There are just too many unasked/unanswered questions to make any meaningful interpretation of the results shown.
  • Reply 17 of 33
    rainrain Posts: 538member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AaronJ View Post


    Are you being sarcastic or serious?



    If you're being serious, then there are a lot of problems with your analysis. The Android platform may be growing, but that doesn't necessarily mean that there are trucks full of profit pulling into LG and Samsung and HTC.



    The billions per quarter in profits from the iPhone alone (let alone the iPad and iTouch) lead me to believe that Apple is probably pretty happy with the way their iOS platform is going.



    Apple is being a bully right now - leveraging their pile of cash and riding their 'first kid on the block' innovation. They just woke up every other tech company in the world - the collective minds of the rest of the planet.

    The competition isn't going to stand still. The 'closed ecosystem' didn't win out last time... even thou it was vastly superior in every way... what makes you think it will this time?



    Blowback - could be around the corner if Apple stays on their greedy path.
  • Reply 18 of 33
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by os2baba View Post


    What's wrong with Netbooks? I have an excellent Lenovo IdeaPad that I purchased for $150. For the price, it's excellent value for money. I used it a heck of a lot more than my iPad. Which is why I still have the netbook and don't have the ipad anymore.



    Are you for real ?

    What do you mean by excellent value for money ? This statement can mean anything.

    So you paid $150 and happy for the crappy experience ? Is that it ?

    You use it more than the iPad, why ? What does it do better ?

    Please enlighten us.

    I love probing posters when they make comments that are purely their opinion, and holds no ground to logic.
  • Reply 19 of 33
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slapppy View Post


    Yep. Given that it's "FREE" for anyone that wants to build their cheap knockoffs probably has nothing to do with Android OS overtaking everyone soon.



    Yeah, buy one and get 10 for free.

    Customer gets home, tries the crap, and throws them all into the bin.

    Only an idiot would not understand that the company doing this would take most market share, but where is the money ? Show me the money !
  • Reply 20 of 33
    My two cents:



    I think the key to understanding these statistics is in the original Nielsen article;

    "namely Asian/Pacific Islanders (45%), Hispanics (45%) and African-Americans (33%), populations that also tend to skew younger"

    It is well known that the US (like other countries) is steadily 'browning'. Younger people are more likely to be of mixed or at least non white heritage. These younger people tend to utilise the functions of the smartphone more (FB, Twitter, IM chat etc) that smartphones excel at, whilst the older white population are happy with to go with just a cheaper basic phone for talking & texting, unless they go for a BOGO free Android deal. Of course there are exceptions - especially on the AI forum.



    iPad takeup is a completely different story though, which is very interesting as well.
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