Among the resources my additional research uncovered was Google’s February 2012 Our Mobile Planet: Global Smartphone Users, itself at risk of being fatally dated at just less than a year old, remains among the most comprehensive treatments on its subject.
Its findings include:
- From Jan-Feb 2011 to Sept-Oct 2011, U.S. smartphone ownership increased from 31 % to 38 %, which rise, although impressive, was eclipsed by rates of increase in the U.K., France and Spain.
- 81% of U.S. respondents reported using their smartphones to enjoy music (51 %), play a game (28 %), read a book (18 %), newspaper or magazine (17 %), watch a television program (51 %t) or watch a movie (35 %).
- 66 % of U.D. respondents reported that ads had prompted them to search for a shop or business (57 %), a television program (58 %), a magazine (46 %) or a poster (36%).
- 92 % of U.S. respondents had used their smartphones to access local information, and
89 % had “taken action after looking up local content.” - 51 % of U.S. respondents who had searched for local information called the business,
25 % made an in-store purchase and 21 %t made a purchase online instead. - 34 % of U.S. respondents had made a purchase using their smartphones.
- 35% of U.S. respondents reported that they carried their smartphones in part specifically to compare prices, 32 % reported changing their minds about a purchase while in a store due to smartphone research and 29 % said they had changed their minds about making a purchase online due to information gleaned from a smartphone search.
- 25 % of U.S. smartphone users were age 18 to 24, 24 % were 25 to 34, 18 % 35 to 44,
24 % 45 to 54 and 9 % were age 55 or older. - 49 % of U.S. respondents were female and 51 % male.
Of course, these are just some of the report’s highlights, and I encourage you to read it for yourself. For my part, I can’t wait to compare the 2013 report.