Reston, Va. – The number of U.S.
smartphone users at the end of 2010 was 60 percent higher than a year ago among
subscribers ages 13 and older, a ComScore consumer survey found.
The survey of current subscribers
also found that Google’s Android smartphone OS pushed aside Apple’s smartphone
OS for second place as measured by the number of smartphones in use during the
three-month period ending December.
The ComScore survey measures about 10,000 different subscribers each month on a continuing basis and, at the end of each month, reports the responses for a three-month period.
In smartphone share, ComScore
also found that although RIM phones accounted for the largest share of
smartphones in use in the three-month period at 31.6 percent, RIM’s share
declined sequentially from 37.3 percent in the previous three-month period
ending September.
Among users of all types of
cellphones, Samsung remained the top brand during the year-end period, with its
share rising 1.3 percentage points sequentially to 24.8 percent while the share
held by each of the next four top brands fell slightly. Although the other four
top suppliers lost some share, their relative rankings remained the same
compared to the previous three-month period, with LG placing second followed in
order by Motorola, RIM and Nokia.
For the three months ending
December, ComScore found that 234 million Americans ages 13 and older used
cellphones and that 63.2 million people used smartphones, up 60 percent from
the three months ending December 2009. The percentage of cellphone users using
smartphones came to 27 percent at the end of 2010.
In measuring smartphone OS share, RIM led the
ranking, with a 31.6 percent share of smartphones in use, while Android moved
up to second place, with 28.7 percent, up 7.3 percentage points vs. the
three-month period ending September. Apple accounted for 25 percent of
smartphone subscribers, up 0.7 percentage points sequentially, but its rank nonetheless
fell to third place. Apple was followed by Microsoft, with 8.4 percent, and
Palm, with 3.7 percent.
Among users of all types of
cellphones, Samsung ranked at the top at the end of the year, with 24.8 percent
of U.S. cellphone subscribers using Samsung phones, up 1.3 percentage points
sequentially from the previous three-month period. LG ranked second, with 20.9
percent share, followed by Motorola, with 16.7 percent; RIM, with 8.5 percent;
and Nokia with 7.0 percent.
In surveying consumers about their cellular
use, ComScore found that 68 percent of subscribers used text messaging on their
mobile device, up 1 percentage point sequentially, while web browsers were used
by 36.4 percent, up 1.3 percentage points. Subscribers who used downloaded
applications accounted for 34.4 percent of subscribers, up 1.3 percentage
points. Accessing social-networking sites or blogs increased 1.5 percentage
points to represent 24.7 percent of mobile subscribers. A total of 23.2 percent
played games on their phones, and 15.7 percent listened to music on their
cellphone.
