iOS Users Ready for iCloud, Already Stream More Media than Android

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Image courtesy of iPhoneFAQ
Image courtesy of iPhoneFAQ

Apple’s announcement that iCloud should appear June 6 couldn’t be better timed. Owners of iOS devices are heavy music and video users, streaming more media than Android or any mobile operating system… and with iCloud’s debut, it’s only going to get more lopsided.

That’s the word from Internet measurement firm Nielsen, which Tuesday released a report showing 46 percent of iOS users streamed online music or radio within the past 30 days, compared to 43 percent for Android, 39 percent for Windows Phone 7 and 24 percent for BlackBerry.

Likewise, 37 percent of iOS users streamed video to their devices within the last 30 days, with Android coming second at 35 percent. Apple’s iOS platform also led other mobile players in online gaming, as well as music and app downloads.

Earlier Tuesday, the Cupertino, Calif. company announced CEO Steve Jobs would unveil the iCloud at next week’s WWDC, a service that reportedly will stream users’ iTunes music collections. Although Apple was late to the streaming party, with Amazon and Google already announcing simpler cloud-based storage lockers, iCloud has been widely anticipated.

There also appears to be a three-way stalemate for control of the U.S. smartphone market. For Apple fans, however, a new report finds Android’s rising popularity seems to have stalled at 36 percent. After a year-long climb from 15 percent in June 2010, Google’s open mobile operating system has stabilized from Feb. to April.

Perhaps more importantly, Apple’s smartphone marketshare was 26 percent over the past three months, very close to that of a year ago, according to the report by Internet measurement firm Nielsen. BlackBerry owners can also take something away from the findings: RIM’s downward slide seems to be slowing, registering between 22 percent and 23 percent of the U.S. market.

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