Mar
05
Half of US Mobile Phones Are Smartphones
Mon Mar, 2012 by Derek Mehraban
If there was doubt that we are on the cusp of a mobile revolution, then the latest results from the Pew Internet and American Life Project will put that doubt to rest. Of American cellphone owners 53% of them own a smartphone. Of all Americans 46% of them own a smartphone. That number represents a bump in every demographic since the last survey conducted in may 2011. Of young adults (18-29) 66% of them own a smartphone. Since last May’s survey the rate of smartphone ownership has spread out among all ethnicities and education and income levels. The really interesting part of the data is the increased savviness of the American population. Last year 14% of cellphone owners did not know if theirs was a smartphone or not, compared to 8% of this year’s respondents. This year only 4% did not know if theirs was an Android or iPhone, compared to 13% last year.
The mobile marketing agency does not need to fear the lack of sophistication in some demographics. These days even communities in poverty have access to smartphones and the mobile advertising that accompanies them. There may be other issues complicating converting those advertisements into sales, but it is not a hardware problem. The other good news is the increasing savviness of the smartphone user. An ability to distinguish smartphones from feature phones and Androids from iPhones speaks to a growing awareness of brands, which is good news for the digital marketers trying to brand preferences.
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