The Android is Mostly a Guy Thing

Since its inception, Google’s Android operating system seemed aimed at guys. Now we have more proof in the form of an AdMob survey showing Android men outnumber iPhone women 73 percent to 53 percent.

Some 43 percent of iPhone users are female, compared to just 27 percent of Android-based phone owners, AdMob said Thursday. The survey found not only a gender split, but also an age gap between the two smartphone platforms.

The survey by the Google-owned mobile analysts supports earlier indications that Google’s mobile operating system is favored by men. When the Android-based Droid sold by Verizon first appeared, it included a robotic voice. In an attack attack, Verizon likened the iPhone to a beauty princess while the Droid was a robot. “A phone that trades hair-do for can-do,” the December 2009 television ad intoned.

The macho bent of the Android was also seen in research on brand loyalty. More men professed liking the Motorola Droid than the iPhone.

More than three-quarters of iPod touch owners are younger than 25, according to the survey. That compares to 25 percent for the iPhone and 24 percent for Android. However, in terms of age, the iPhone’s “sweet spot” is the 25-34-year old range, with 21 percent owning the Apple’s handset. For Android, that age group is even larger – 30 percent. Intriguingly, 14 percent of iPhone owners are 55-years or old, compared with just 8 percent for Android.

Although the iPhone and Android were closely-matched for the number of applications downloaded each month (seven versus 7.6), the iPhone far outpaces Android when it comes to people buying apps. Half of the iPhone users surveyed reported buying at least one app a month, versus 21 percent for Android fans.

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Android User Interest Approaching iPhone

The prospects of iPhone users buying Apple’s latest gadget, the iPad, seems bright. The survey found 16 percent of iPhone owners are likely to purchase the tablet device. It’s not such good news for Amazon hoping to attract Android fans to its e-book reader. Six percent of Android owners said they’d likely buy an iPad, versus just five percent interested in the Kindle.

[Via Fortune and AdMob]

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