As a mobile device, the iPhone crosses several different user groups. From business users to media junkies, a wide range of people use the iPhone in a variety of different ways. The App Store is fueling this variation even further on account of the huge array of different applications available.
A few pieces of research have been conducted that give an interesting glimpse into the profile of iPhone users, and the main activities they choose to perform with their device. This post will summarize a few different results and draw some interesting comparisons between the uses of an iPhone compared to other mobile phones.
Compete.com Survey
Compete.com has recently gathered a collection of data surrounding the use of the iPhone. They found that:
- iPhone owners are twice as likely as other Smartphone owners to be comfortable with advertising within the applications on their device.
- 33 percent of iPhone owners use maps and GPS more than ten times a month, compared to 13 percent of Smartphone owners.
- Almost twice as many iPhone owners than Smartphone users complete at least one financial transaction on their mobile device each month.
- 93 percent of iPhone owners have added an application versus only 66 percent of Smartphone owners.
The statistics relating to increased map usage are most likely due to the implementation of Google Maps software — it’s slick, easy to use and very intuitive. The other statistics are more interesting, and worth considering a little further.
The fact that 93 percent of owners have added an application is a very impressive figure. Considering the App Store has been open for only a few months, such a high awareness and take-up rate is excellent. It comes down to a combination of a very successful marketing campaign from Apple, coupled with a system that is incredibly easy to use. Applications are easy to find, often inexpensive, and as evidenced by the number of users downloading them, add real value to the iPhone.
The statistic relating to financial transactions comes as an initial surprise — why would users feel safer conducting online banking on their iPhone? I think this is one advantage that comes from a mobile browser based on a desktop counterpart. Apple users who surf with Safari on their Mac are likely to instinctively trust the security and reliability of the mobile version — feeling comfortable accessing their finances online.
Finally, the issue of advertising is an interesting one. This could be down either to the type of user (corporate Blackberry users may recoil quicker at the idea of advertising compared to media-savvy, younger consumers), or the fact that Mac users are more familiar with the concept from ad-supported desktop software (e.g. Twitteriffic). I suspect the former is likely to be the case, with iPhone users preferring to accept a free, ad-supported application rather than paying for it directly.
Rubicon Consulting Research
A recent survey entitled ‘The Apple iPhone: Successes and Challenges for the Mobile Industry’ looked at the profile of iPhone users. They found that:
- The iPhone user base consists mainly of young early adopters about three quarters of whom are previous Apple customers.
- 50 percent of iPhone users are under thirty, and 15 percent are students.
- Half of the iPhone users replaced conventional mobile phones (commonly the Motorola Razr) while 40 percent replaced other smartphones (such as Blackberrys and Windows Mobile devices).
- Email is the most commonly used feature — 70 percent of users check email on the iPhone at least once a day
- 60 percent of users browse the internet at least once per day
- Three quarters of users do more web surfing on the iPhone than on their previous device.
It should be noted that this survey was conducted just prior to the introduction of the iPhone 3G — so some figures may have changed since then. However, the general trends and conclusions are still likely to be valid.
The fact that iPhone users are young and ‘tech savvy’ does not come as a particular surprise. Nor does the concept that previous Apple customers are more likely to buy an iPhone (especially as an Apple customer is anyone who has bought an iPod — over 163 million have been sold).
The split of switchers from both conventional and smart phone users is interesting. It shows clearly that the iPhone has succeeded in targeting both types of user well, catering equally to business users requiring email and web capabilities as well as those more interested in photos, videos and music. This is no mean feat, showing that the latest Exchange features are beginning to bring the iPhone into an enterprise setting.
The Typical iPhone User
Essentially, none of these statistics are particularly startling, though they do go a long way towards providing definite proof for ideas we have taken for granted (i.e. that the well implemented Mobile Safari browser will stimulate greater use of mobile internet).
Would you say that your iPhone usage echoes the findings of the above surveys, or do some of the statistics come as a surprise?
