USA: Young adults and Teens Lead growth among smartphones owners, says Nielsen.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

USA: Young adults and Teens Lead growth among smartphones owners, says Nielsen.

As mobile manufacturers announce new phones in advance of the holidays, Nielsen took a snapshot look at the mobile market in the U.S. Smartphone penetration continued to grow in July 2012, with 55.5 percent of mobile subscribers in the U.S. now owning smartphones. This is a significant increase compared to July 2011 when only 41 percent of mobile subscribers owned smartphones.

Overall, young adults are leading the growth in smartphone ownership in the U.S., with 74 percent of 25-34 year olds now owning smartphones, up from 59 percent in July 2011. Interestingly, teenagers between 13 and 17 years old demonstrated the most dramatic increases in smartphone adoption, with the majority of American teens (58%) owning a smartphone, compared to roughly a third (36%) of teens saying they owned a smartphone just a year ago.

“Among most age groups smartphones represent the majority of U.S. mobile subscribers, but American teens were the age group adopting smartphones the fastest,” Nichole Henderson, a Nielsen analyst, said. “As teens increase in their share of smartphone owners, mobile carriers and manufacturers should consider how to market to this growing group.”

Android handsets continue to lead the smartphone market, with both a majority of smartphone owners and recent acquirers (those who obtained their handset in the last 3 months) now owning a phone that runs on the Android operating system. Apple’s iPhone followed closely with a share of 34 percent of smartphone owners and 33 percent of recent acquirers choosing an iOS handset. BlackBerry handsets decreased to an 8 percent share of the U.S. smartphone market and only 3 percent of recent acquirers.

USA to July 2011: 40 % of. Mobile Users Own Smartphones; 40 % are Android, 28% are iPhone, 19% BBs.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Forty percent of mobile consumers over 18 in the U.S. now have smartphones, according to July 2011 data from Nielsen. Android is the most popular operating system, with 40 percent of mobile consumers reporting they have a smartphone with an Android OS. Apple’s iOS is in second place, with 28 percent.

Among those who say they are likely to get a new smartphone in the next year, approximately one third say they want their next smartphone to be an iPhone and one third say they want an Android device. However, among those who say they are usually the first to embrace new technologies, “Innovators” or the earliest of early adopters, Android leads as the “Next Desired Operating System” – 40 percent for Android compared to 32 percent for iOS. (Survey respondents were asked several questions to determine their attitudes toward new technologies.)


Among likely smartphone upgraders, it is the “Late Adopters” who are most likely to say they are “not sure” which operating system they’d like in their next smartphone.  In politics as in smartphones, these “undecideds” will be the ones device makers will be hoping to win over.

Nielsen Says : Android Tops IPhone, BlackBerry in U.S.

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Google Inc.’s Android software has become the most popular operating system in the U.S. among new smartphone buyers, passing the iPhone and BlackBerry platforms, according to Nielsen Co.

Android was the top choice for U.S. consumers who bought a smartphone in the past six months with Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry and Apple Inc.’s iPhone tied for second place, Nielsen said.

Android has surged in popularity because the software is free to any company that wants to build phones using it and a wide range of manufacturers have adopted it, including Motorola Inc. and HTC Corp. Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. wireless operator, has promoted Android devices, and AT&T Inc., the exclusive U.S. carrier for the iPhone, now also offers several Android models.

“Distribution and choice is king,” said Roger Entner, Nielsen’s head of telecom research. “They expand their distribution to Verizon, Sprint and AT&T and introduce a whole slew of devices and their market share goes up like a rocket.”

AT&T, the second-largest U.S. wireless operator, said today it will start selling three new Motorola Android phones, ranging in price from $79.99 to $129.99 with a two-year contract.

In August, Nielsen said that Android had passed Apple’s iPhone in sales among new U.S. smartphone buyers in the second quarter, though it still trailed the BlackBerry.

While BlackBerry retained the top spot among all U.S. smartphone owners with a 31 percent share, its lead over Apple is declining, Nielsen said. IPhone accounted for 28 percent of users and Android, 19 percent.

Google, based in Mountain View, California, climbed $15.88, or 3 percent, to $538.23 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. Google has dropped 13 percent this year, while RIM has declined 26 percent and Apple has jumped 37 percent.

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