Smartphone Operating System by Age Group, Penetration and Usage

There is no denying that electronic mobile devices are the most popular technological advancements today. Among these devices are the smartphones. Since the device became available in the early 2000s, more and more people have started purchasing their own units. Today, the number has reached millions. Each consumer has his own reason or reasons why he bought a unit. You may wonder why smartphones have become a phenomenal hit among consumers. Read on below to give you an idea on how people use their smartphones, what kind of operating system they use, and what markets or countries has been successfully penetrated.

smartphones

Smartphone Operating System by Age Group

As you know, there are different brands of smartphones and there are also different types of operating systems. Among the most popular are Android, iPhone, Microsoft and RIM. In 2011, based on a market study published by Go-Gulf.com in 2012, 43% of Apple iPhone and 50% of Android smartphone users are below the age of 34. Below is a more detailed usage of operating systems according to age group:

  • 18 to 34 years old. Of all the smartphone users, 50% use Android as operating system, 43% use iPhone, 39% use Microsoft and 38% use RIM. Apparently, more users prefer Android. This may attributed to the fact that there are numerous brands of smartphones that run on Android. Among these brands are Samsung, Alcatel, Sony Ericcson, and many others.
  • 35 to 44 years old. For this age group, iPhone and RIM seem to be more preferred. These operating systems have 24% and 25% respectively. On the other hand, Android has 21% and Microsoft has 20%.
  • 45 to 54 years old. Apparently, Microsoft and RIM did better in this age group. They hay 21% and 20% respectively while both iPhone and Android have 16%.
  • 54 and up. Surprisingly, Android with 13% is the least preferred by this age group. Microsoft has 20%, iPhone has 17% and RIM has 18%.

Smartphone Penetration

Proof that smartphones have become wildly popular is its penetration in numerous countries. Below are the top 10 countries where smartphones have successfully penetrated:

1.) Singapore – 54%

2.) Canada -39%

3.) Hongkong – 35%

4.) Sweden – 35%

5.) Spain – 35%

6.) USA – 35%

7.) Australia – 33%

8.) Norway – 33%

9.) New Zealand – 32%

10.) Denmark – 31%

Based on the data, it seems that smartphones are more popular in European countries and in some parts of Asia. Obviously, Canada and USA are healthy markets for smartphones.

Smartphone Usage

As mentioned above, there are many reasons why consumers buy smartphones. Below is a detailed usage in percentage in 2011:

–          Text messages, 92%

–          Internet browsing, 84%

–          Emails, 76%

–          Played games, 64%

–          Used downloaded apps, 69%

–          Social networking site, 59%

–          Music/videos, 48%

For businesses, these statistics spell a lot of opportunities for them. These prove that the decision to integrate smartphones in the phone system is but wise. As you know, smartphones are now used to phone services such as RingCentral business phone numbers and Internet fax. Moreover, these statistics would mean promising future for the smartphone industry. It is forecasted that by 2016 80% of the people in the US will have mobile phones. As of 2011, there are 91.4 million smartphone users in the US and 1.08 billion worldwide. With the current and predicted statistics, it is a smart decision to purchase your own smartphone unit.

Researcher and Content Writer at e-Syndicate Network. A constant learner. Learning and growing every day. Salman has over 5 years of experience in the fields of Digital Marketing, Content Writing, Brand and Business Development.