Report: Android Gaining More Traction Against iPhone
10:34 am, December 18th, 2009, Ed Sutherland
If Apple is preparing for a New Year’s bash, it may be with some nervousness. Android, the Google software powering Verizon’s Droid and other smartphones, may be a party-crasher, a new report says. Internet measurement firm comScore announced 17 percent of people intend to buy an Android phone within the next three months compared to 20 percent for Apple’s iPhone.
“While iPhone continues to set the bar with its App Store and passionate user base, and RIM remains the leader among the business set, Android is clearly gaining momentum among developers and consumers,” said Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president of mobile.
Possibly more threatening for Apple is the many ways iPhone and Android users overlap. While 94 percent of iPhone owners are most likely to use mobile media, 92 percent of Android users also identify with the quality, according to the report. The same nearly mirror-image appears in usage of other smartphone applications, ranging from news consumption, social networking and instant messaging. Only in e-mail was there a significant disparity; 87 percent of iPhone owners use e-mail on their device while 63 percent of Andrpoid users do so.
“Overall, these data suggest that Android users will behave more like iPhone users than other smartphone users,” said the report entitled “Android: Crashing the Smartphone Party.”
Verizon and Motorola advertising for the Droid appears to be helping Android’s awareness with consumers. Only 22 percent of mobile users had heard of Android in August. By November, that number rose to 37 percent. “Not only is general awareness increasing about Android, but intent to purchase an Android-supported device is also increasing among mobile phone users,” according to the report.
This isn’t the first warning shot from Android. Earlier this month, Time Magazine picked the Droid for its gadget of 2009. The Droid has also passed the Apple in brand awareness in that all-important age and gender group: males 18- to 34-years in age.
[Via comScore]
Posted by Ed Sutherland in News | Comment on this article
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“comScore services are used by more than 1,200 clients, including global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, BBC, Carat, Cyworld, Deutsche Bank, France Telecom, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Financial Times, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestle, Starcom, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, the University of Chicago, Verizon Services Group and ViaMichelin.”
Hmmmm, I wonder who Santa is over at comScore? Just saying….
Mike, on December 18th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I doubt that more 18-34 year old males have heard of droid over iPhone. If you don’t know what an iPhone is, you must be living in a cave. Sorry, but that statistic seems plain impossible.
Willie, on December 18th, 2009 at 11:19 am
i’m not so sure that Apple is worried. they have never struck me as the company trying to be number one in sales and share. more like they want to be the company that gives the best possible to those that can appreciate it. the ones that want quick and cheap can go elsewhere (and do).
besides too much market share too quick and you run into potential legal issues with anti-trust and such. and the Droid might just slow some of the whining by folks demanding that Apple make an iphone for Verizon. (and slow the rumors that Verizon is in talks about it)
Charli, on December 18th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Why should Apple be worried? Even if (a couple years from now) both Apple and Droid are roughly tied (give or take a percentage point) for the Top Spot in Smartphones…. Apple still ends up hugely profitable and the iPhone line remains just as successful.
Hell. Even the Macintosh computer platform… is what? Less than 10% market share worldwide? And yet Macs today are generally considered a SUCCESSFUL platform in the fact that it is stellarly profitable, a product that has a strong growth trajectory during a Recession Economy, and is mega-popular (ever since the Get-A-Mac campaign kicked Vista’s ass), and is enjoying a huge halo effect from Apple’s other devices.
gecko, on December 18th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
“Sorry, but that statistic seems plain impossible.”
So in other words, you’re take your hunch based on personal experience over research where people have actually gone out and asked people?
OK…
Ian Betteridge, on December 18th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
The problem is that even if true those people who falls for the ideology don’t want to PAY for anything. So they can say they WANT to buy it, but it’s a different story when it comes to actually buying it.
Same old story that every company with iPhone wannabe distribute until their ad budget runs out. Remember what people were saying about the Palm Pre? Palm Pre didn’t change Palm’s market share at all.
Obama Pacman, on December 18th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
This has more to do with Ant-Apple feelings than Pro-Android sentiment.
Jealousy’s an ugly thing ….
CaryMG, on December 18th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Upon closer inspection, the numbers are actually 20% iPhone 3.x software capable phones versus 8% Droid.
Note all Droid software versions are different for each phone, so they are really not the same platform.
Obama Pacman, on December 19th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
“Note all Droid software”
should say
Note all Android software
Obama Pacman, on December 19th, 2009 at 2:55 pm