Nielsen

mobile
July 12, 2012
by

Nielsen: BlackBerry nearly a non-factor in Q2, Android and iOS take top spots

By on July 12, 2012 at 4:15 PM.

Nielsen: BlackBerry nearly a non-factor in Q2, Android and iOS take top spots

Smartphone Market Share Q2 2012

New numbers from Nielsen illustrate what has long been obvious to anyone who pays attention to technology: old feature phones will soon be a thing of the past. Nielsen reported on Thursday that two-thirds of new mobile phones purchased in the second quarter of 2012 were smartphones. What’s more, Nielsen found that just under 55% of all U.S. mobile subscribers owned smartphones, meaning something that was considered a high-end item just five years ago is now commonplace. More →

No Comments
mobile
May 7, 2012
by

More than 50% of U.S. mobile users own smartphones

By on May 7, 2012 at 8:15 PM.

More than 50% of U.S. mobile users own smartphones

Over 50 percent of US mobile users own smartphones

The majority of mobile subscribers in the United Stated now own a smartphone according to the latest numbers from Nielsen. The research firm found that 50.4% of all U.S. mobile subscribers owned smartphones in March, up from 47.8% in December 2011. Consumers purchasing new phones picked smartphones more often than featured phones, with Apple called the top manufacturer and Android as the top platform. During the first quarter of 2012, 48% of smartphone owners had an Android-powered device, while 32% of devices ran iOS and 11.6% were on the BlackBerry platform. The dated Windows Mobile OS owned a 4.1% share of the market, ahead of Windows Phone at 1.7%. More →

No Comments
Business
January 5, 2012
by

Album sales jump in U.S. for the first time since 2004

By on January 5, 2012 at 8:15 PM.

Album sales jump in U.S. for the first time since 2004

Album sales in the United States jumped 3% during 2011 according to one report. That may seem like minor growth, but it is actually the first time album sales have increased since 2004. Nielsen SoundScan said Adele’s album “21″ sold 5.8 million copies, and total sales came in at 458 million albums for the year. Make no mistake, however, CD sales are still on the decline. Sales of full digital albums climbed 20% to 103 million units but CD sales dropped 6% to 225 million units. Nielsen’s senior vice president of analytics Dave Bakula said the addition of Google’s music store in the Android Market also helped serve as a catalyst for digital music sales growth. ”It shows there’s still a lot of growth potential in digital,” Bakula said. “That’s something I don’t see falling down.” More →

No Comments
Business
December 15, 2011
by

Smartphone penetration skyrockets in 2011, iPhone becomes No.1 handset

By on December 15, 2011 at 9:00 AM.

Smartphone penetration skyrockets in 2011, iPhone becomes No.1 handset

Smartphone penetration over the past two years has exploded, jumping from just 18% in the third quarter of 2009 to 44% during the three-month period ending in October 2011. Market research firm Nielsen on Thursday released its Mobile Media Report for the third quarter of this year, and it is more clear than ever that smartphones are taking over in the United States. Smartphone penetration has grown dramatically across all age ranges over the past two years, and young adults remain the most likely to own a smartphone; 53% of U.S. cell phone users aged 18 to 24 and 64% aged 25 to 34 now own smartphones according to Nielsen. The most popular phone in the country during the third quarter 2009 was a feature phone — the Motorola RAZR — while Apple’s iPhone 4 wore the crown last quarter, further emphasizing the ongoing shift in the wireless market toward smart devices. Read on for more. More →

No Comments
Gaming
December 15, 2011
by

Game console owners stream more video content than ever before

By on December 15, 2011 at 7:15 AM.

Game console owners stream more video content than ever before

New data from Nielsen suggests that console owners are using their Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii game consoles to stream video content more than ever before. “Streaming now represents a reported 14 percent of Xbox 360 time, 15 percent of PS3 time and 33 percent of Wii time,” Nielsen said Wednesday. The market research firm explained that the growth in time spent streaming was driven by services such as ESPN 3, Netflix, MLB Network and Hulu, but that time spent using consoles also increased overall. Console usage during the first half of 2011 jumped 7% from the same time period last year. Nielsen said gaming is the most popular activity on Xbox 360 (34% of usage), the PS3 is most used for DVD/Blu-ray viewing (22% of usage) and the Wii is used most for offline gaming (55% of usage). More →

No Comments
mobile
December 12, 2011
by

Facebook tops Google’s own offerings to become most popular Android app

By on December 12, 2011 at 9:00 AM.

Facebook tops Google’s own offerings to become most popular Android app

Beating out popular own-brand apps like Google Search, Gmail, Google Maps and YouTube, Facebook holds the title as the most actively used Android app. Market research firm Nielsen on Monday published the findings of a month-long study to determine the most-used Android apps currently available for the platform. The study made use of Nielsen’s proprietary on-device monitoring software, which has been voluntarily installed by thousands of panelists across the country. Beyond the Android Market itself, Facebook was the most actively-used app on the Android platform over the past 30 days in all age brackets. Among users aged 18 to 24, Google Search was the second most used app in the firm’s new study with 77% of panelists having opened the app over the past 30 days. Gmail and Google Maps followed with 79% a piece, and YouTube slid in behind them with 64%. Following the suite of Google apps was Pandora Radio with a distant 30%. A similar study conducted by Nielsen in July found that Facebook was the third most popular app behind Google Maps and Gmail. Read on for more. More →

No Comments
mobile
November 29, 2011
by

Nielsen: Android extends smartphone platform lead, Apple still top vendor

By on November 29, 2011 at 2:00 PM.

Nielsen: Android extends smartphone platform lead, Apple still top vendor

Android further cemented its position as the most widely used smartphone operating system in the United States over the past three months according to new data just released by Nielsen. During the three-month period from August through October, Android’s market share ticked up to 44.2% from 43% between July and September. Apple’s iOS platform grew marginally from 28% to 28.6% and RIM’s BlackBerry OS shed three points to fall to 17%. Microsoft’s share is still barely a blip on the radar. Apple’s 28.6% kept it at the top of the vendor list over the past three months and HTC was still the No.2 vendor over all, followed by RIM and Samsung. Nielsen also noted that 44% of all mobile subscribers in the U.S. now own smartphones, and 56% of subscribers who purchased a cell phone in the past three months chose a smartphone. Finally, the market research firm says 71% of smartphone users in the U.S., and 83% of app downloaders, now own either an iPhone or Android smartphone. More →

No Comments
Tablets
November 18, 2011
by

iPad most wanted holiday gift among young children, study finds

By on November 18, 2011 at 1:15 AM.

iPad most wanted holiday gift among young children, study finds

If you have children aged 6-12 in your family, chances are they want an iPad, iPod touch or an iPhone for the holidays. According to new data from The Nielsen Company, the iPad is the most desired electronic gadget this season. 44% of the children surveyed are interested in buying (read: receiving as a gift) an iPad in the next six months, 30% want an iPod touch and 27% want an iPhone. Those figures are on a par with last year’s numbers. In 2010 31% of kids aged 6-12 wanted an iPad, 29% wanted a computer, 29% wanted an iPod touch and 25% wanted a Nintendo DS/DSi/DS Lite. The story changes a bit for kids over 13, but the iPad still sits at the top of gadget wish lists. 24% of teenagers older than 13 are interested in buying an iPad during the next 6 months, 18% want to buy a computer and 18% want to buy an eReader. Nielsen’s survey was conducted during October 2011 and it involved 3,000 participants. An infographic showing data for kids aged 6-12 follows after the break. More →

No Comments
Tablets
November 17, 2011
by

Typical iPad buyers are pet owners, males and gamers, study says [infographic]

By on November 17, 2011 at 10:25 PM.

Typical iPad buyers are pet owners, males and gamers, study says [infographic]

Men, pet owners and gamers are the most likely consumers to purchase an iPad, a new infographic from Bluekai reveals. Bluekai compiled data from Comscore and Nielsen to create the infographic, which identifies a variety of customers who might buy an iPad based on a 1-100 correlation scale. The aforementioned target markets — men, pet owners and video game buyers — were listed as “highly likely” to purchase an iPad. Scientists or health care workers, international travelers, proponents of organic food, vitamin takers, apartment dwellers and domestic business travelers were also listed as “very likely” to purchase the tablet. Bluekai also cited Comscore, which said that 45.9% of all tablet owners are members of a household that has an annual income of $100,000 or more. The full infographic follows below. More →

No Comments
mobile
September 28, 2011
by

Nielsen: AT&T smartphone users more likely to be satisfied than users on other carriers

By on September 28, 2011 at 7:01 AM.

Nielsen: AT&T smartphone users more likely to be satisfied than users on other carriers

A recent Mobile Insights report from research firm Nielsen suggests that AT&T customers are more satisfied with their phones than any other carrier customer in the United States. “Nielsen’s results reinforce that our customers have the highest device satisfaction compared to all carriers,” AT&T Mobility chief marketing officer David Christopher said. “Our data shows that as of the second quarter this year, about half of our postpaid customers had smartphones — more than any other wireless provider — and this trend shows no signs of slowing down.” Christopher attributed AT&T’s success to its wide selection of smartphones, the ability to talk and surf at the same time, a large network of Wi-Fi hotspots and its developing HSPA+ “4G” network. Read on for the full press release from AT&T. More →

98 Comments
mobile
September 26, 2011
by

Android adoption doubled iOS over past three months, Nielsen finds

By on September 26, 2011 at 11:01 AM.

Android adoption doubled iOS over past three months, Nielsen finds

Twice as many consumers in the U.S. purchased Android smartphones compared to Apple’s iPhone over the past three months, according to new data just released by The Nielsen Company. The market research firm found that of those consumers who purchased a new smartphone during the three-month period ending in August, 58% purchased an Android device while 28% purchased either the iPhone 4 or the iPhone 3GS. Only 9% purchased a new BlackBerry smartphone, though the time period covered by Nielsen’s survey ended prior to the release of RIM’s new BlackBerry 7 handsets. Read on for more. More →

115 Comments
mobile
September 13, 2011
by

Who says men don’t ask for directions? Maps is top Android app for men, Facebook for women

By on September 13, 2011 at 7:00 AM.

Who says men don’t ask for directions? Maps is top Android app for men, Facebook for women

Market research firm Nielsen on Tuesday revealed the 20 most popular Android applications in the United States. Using data obtained from metered device usage as opposed to observations from surveys as most similar data is collected, Nielsen studied Android owners’ app usage over the past month. The result is a ranking of the platform’s top-20 applications by active reach, or the percentage of Android device owners who used each app within the past 30 days. Google’s Android Market topped the charts overall as well as among men and women alike, with a reach of nearly 91%. Google Maps was the second most popular app overall with a reach of 74.6%, and the app was No. 2 behind the Android Market for men with 77.1%. Gmail was third among men (75.5%), Google Search was fourth (72.4%) and Facebook rounded out the top-5 (66.9%). Among women, Facebook (81%) was second behind the Android Market, followed by Gmail (73.4%), Google Maps (71.9%) and Google Search (71.3%). More →

26 Comments
mobile
September 1, 2011
by

Nielsen: Android takes 40% of U.S. smartphone market in July; iOS flat, RIM down a point

By on September 1, 2011 at 7:00 AM.

Nielsen: Android takes 40% of U.S. smartphone market in July; iOS flat, RIM down a point

Google’s Android platform gained once again during the three-month period ending in July, increasing it’s share by 1% over second-quarter totals to grab 40% of the U.S. smartphone market. Apple’s iOS stayed flat at 28% and RIM’s BlackBerry OS lost one point from June-quarter figures to fall to 19%. Windows Mobile and Windows Phone combined to take 8% of the market — with Windows Phone responsible for just 1% on its own — and the ghost of smartphone operating systems past is now buried somewhere in the “Other” category. Nielsen also notes that 40% of mobile phone users between May and July of this year owned smartphones, and Android topped iOS in the firm’s survey of which smartphone platform users intend to buy next. From “innovators” to “late adopters,” each consumer group Nielsen polled but one — “early adopters” — found Android to be the most appealing OS for their next purchases. A chart outlining consumers’ next desired smartphone operating system follows below. More →

86 Comments