The Nielsen Company recently released data on smartphone usage, and there were some very interesting results.
Overall, 29.7 percent of U.S. cell phone owners now own smartphones. The most popular smartphones, not surprisingly, are the iPhone and Blackberry, which both have around 27 percent marketshare in the U.S. But Android is catching up quickly, with nearly a 23 percent marketshare.
When it comes to which mobile operating system people desire for their next phone, Apple’s iOS and Android were tied. But there was a distinct difference between the sexes—women want the iPhone and men want Android.
Nielsen's survey didn't provide any data for why this may be the case. Though I would speculate that Apple has successfully positioned itself as the "lifestyle" solution, which appeals more to women's tech buying habits, and Android has becomed positioned as the techie alternative. And it's true that Apple still offers a better selection of apps, while Android phones offer more technical features. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.
By the way, in the interest of full disclosure, I use an Android phone and my wife uses an iPhone. Go figure.
From Stephen Shochet on December 04, 2010 :: 5:19 am
I’m going to have to disagree with your conclusion. Based on these stats, there’s only a 2% difference between men and women who want the iphone. The big difference is really between android and undecided. The 10% increase in men’s desire for Android is matched almost completely by the 10% higher unsure rate in women. Draw your own conclusions about that.
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