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Nielsen: In smartphones, apps, Android rule

A boatload of statistics from Nielsen paint a broader picture of how Americans are using smartphones and tablets today.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
Jessica Dolcourt
2 min read
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We love smartphone and tablet statistics just as much as the next guy, and we got an earful of them at today's Mobilize conference this morning, thanks to Nielsen general manager of digital, Jonathan Carson.

Unfortunately, we couldn't get our hands on all the great pie charts and graphs--at least not yet, anyway--but we did walk away with some interesting numbers floating through our brain. Some we've already known for some time, and some are new to us. Seeing them in context creates a bigger picture of how tablets and smartphones are being used in America--or at least in Nielsen's test pool.

Android, apps rule

  • 58 percent of new devices sold are smartphones
  • Of those new devices sold, 56 percent of people buying a new smartphone pick Android
  • Android has taken almost 50 percent of the U.S. smartphone market
  • Android users aren't making calls or even using the Internet (the latter only happens 9 percent of the time); the vast majority of activity (55 percent) is spent on apps
  • The top 10 apps on a mobile platform account for 43 percent of the user's attention, and the top 50 apps command almost all of it
  • However, the top 50 apps change by the month. For instance, from June to July 2011, 11 of the top 50 apps changed spots

Where tablets excel

  • Tablets are used mostly for reading the news (61 percent), e-reading (44 percent), playing music (35 percent), and watching TV (31 percent)
  • Newsreading numbers are close for tablets and smartphones (61 percent; 51 percent for smartphones)
  • But tablets are utilized more for e-reading (44 percent versus 12 percent for smartphones), watching TV (31 percent versus 8 percent on smartphones), and reading magazines (26 percent versus 6 percent for smartphones).