In several key respects, the Android platform has almost caught up to the iPhone, according to new statistics from comScore. There are still a lot more iPhones floating around in the great, wide world, of course, but otherwise, Android's doing extremely well.
Let's start with the table below. It illustrates that, more than the average smartphone user, Android users do a lot of things other than talk. This is important since it could mean that Android devices aren't becoming buy-and-forget paperweights; owners actually enjoy using them.
And indeed, Android's numbers are almost neck-and-neck with Apple's.
Let's start with the table below. It illustrates that, more than the average smartphone user, Android users do a lot of things other than talk. This is important since it could mean that Android devices aren't becoming buy-and-forget paperweights; owners actually enjoy using them.
And indeed, Android's numbers are almost neck-and-neck with Apple's.
Then there's the simple matter of what people have said they intend to buy. A comScore statement reported, "[O]f those American consumers in the market for a smartphone, 17 percent are considering the purchase of an android-supported device in next three months, compared to 20 percent indicating they plan to purchase an iPhone."
So again, Android's almost caught up with the iPhone.
Given a few more months and the release of another Android device or two, it's not hard to imagine that we'll see a tie or new leader.
Android and iPhone Users Consume More Mobile Media than Average Smartphone User
Although Android’s share of the smartphone market is relatively small, it has quickly doubled in the past year to 3.5 percent in October 2009. Understanding the mobile media behavior of Android users highlights why operators and media companies might embrace the platform and fuel its growth. An analysis of mobile media consumption on smartphones revealed that users of both Apple and Android-supported devices were more likely to engage with mobile media than an average smartphone user. Users of the Apple iPhone were most likely to consume mobile media, with 94 percent of users doing so in September 2009, while 92 percent of Android device users, predominantly T-Mobile G1 users, engaged in mobile media activities, 12 percentage points higher than an average smartphone user.
Apple and Android users were equally likely to engage with news via their browser and nearly identical in their mobile application engagement. Email was the only major activity in which iPhone users (87 percent) were far more likely to participate than Android users (63 percent). Overall, these data suggest that Android users will behave more like iPhone users than other smartphone users.Mobile Media Consumption by Operating System
(Percent of Operating System Users)
Three Month Average Ending September 2009
United States
Source: comScore MobiLens
Operating System Penetration by Media Category
Although Android’s share of the smartphone market is relatively small, it has quickly doubled in the past year to 3.5 percent in October 2009. Understanding the mobile media behavior of Android users highlights why operators and media companies might embrace the platform and fuel its growth. An analysis of mobile media consumption on smartphones revealed that users of both Apple and Android-supported devices were more likely to engage with mobile media than an average smartphone user. Users of the Apple iPhone were most likely to consume mobile media, with 94 percent of users doing so in September 2009, while 92 percent of Android device users, predominantly T-Mobile G1 users, engaged in mobile media activities, 12 percentage points higher than an average smartphone user.
Apple and Android users were equally likely to engage with news via their browser and nearly identical in their mobile application engagement. Email was the only major activity in which iPhone users (87 percent) were far more likely to participate than Android users (63 percent). Overall, these data suggest that Android users will behave more like iPhone users than other smartphone users.Mobile Media Consumption by Operating System
(Percent of Operating System Users)
Three Month Average Ending September 2009
United States
Source: comScore MobiLens
Operating System Penetration by Media Category
Mobile Media Email News/Info Browser Any App Social Networking Instant Messenger
Apple 94% 87% 80% 83% 58% 43%
Android 92% 63% 80% 82% 52% 46%
Smartphone 80% 70% 65% 59% 43% 37%
Non-Smartphone 26% 12% 14% 13% 8% 10%
17 Percent of Consumers in the Market for Smartphones Plan to Buy Android-Supported Device
Google’s Android platform has continued to gain awareness among U.S. consumers. In August 2009, just 22 percent of mobile users had heard of the Android, while in November 2009 this figure had reached 37 percent, largely prompted by the Verizon Droid advertising campaign launched in the fall. The comScore study found that not only is general awareness increasing about Android, but intent to purchase an Android-supported device is also increasing among mobile phone users.
When mobile users were asked in November which phone they planned to buy in the next three months, 17 percent of respondents in the market for a new smartphone said they planned to purchase an Android-supported device, with 8 percent of those planning to purchase a Verizon Droid, compared to 20 percent of respondents who said they planned to purchase an iPhone during that same time period. In comparison, when survey respondents answered this same question in August 2009, only 7 percent indicated an intent to purchase either the T-Mobile G1 or the T-Mobile MyTouch -- which were the only Android-supported phones available at the time -- while 21 percent of respondents planned to purchase an iPhone in the next three months.
Report from : comScore Releases New Report
