iPhone Users talk less, but Surf and Listen More, says iSuppli
news April 8th, 2008
by Jonathan Cassell – Editorial Director and Manager, Public Relations
via iSuppli
What do you call a mobile phone that owners employ for voice communications less than half the time they are using it?
Apple Inc. calls it the iPhone, and iSuppli Corp.’s latest consumer survey research indicates that U.S. owners of the popular product are spending their time enjoying all its capabilities, i.e. voice, data communications and multimedia entertainment, rather than exclusively using it for traditional voice calls.
Owners of all types of mobile handsets use their phones for voice communications 71.7 percent of the time, according to research from iSuppli’s ConsumerTrak survey of U.S. residents. In contrast, iPhone owners spend just 46.5 percent of their time with the product engaged in voice calls. So what are consumers doing with their iPhones instead of talking?
U.S. consumers said they spent 12.1 percent of their iPhone usage time accessing the Internet, a stark contrast with 2.4 percent for all mobile phones on average. Furthermore, iPhone owners spent 11.9 percent of their usage time listening to music or other audio, compared to just 2.5 percent for all mobile handset users.
“This usage pattern shows Apple has succeeded in producing a true convergence product that consumers like to use for multiple purposes,” said Greg Sheppard, chief development officer for iSuppli. “Apple has come as close as anyone to achieving a balanced convergence in mobile-handset features and usage.”
The attached figure presents the breakdown of average time usage for iPhone owners as well as for all mobile handsets.
It’s a phone, too
Even before Apple released the iPhone, everyone anticipated it would integrate the mobile phone’s voice communications capability with the iPod’s audio and video playback functionality. However, Apple also has worked to tailor and promote the iPhone as a device that makes Internet access pleasant and productive, and more like using a computer. The large multi-touch screen, the ergonomic user interface and especially the Wi-Fi connection, make accessing the Internet something people want to do more with a device like the iPhone.
Although iSuppli’s research indicates that smart phones from HTC Corp. are used more than the iPhone on a percentage basis for surfing the web, the iPhone has the most volume and market impact. Google and Bank of America recently commented on how the rapid rise of traffic from iPhone owners is forcing them to modify their support of mobile Internet activities.
Feeling used
iSuppli’s ConsumerTrak survey revealed iPhone users also spent more time e-mailing than all users on average, with owners spending 10.4 percent of their time on this task, as opposed to 2.8 percent for all mobile-phone subscribers. In spite of having only limited corporate IT support so far, the speed (via Wi-Fi) and superior ergonomics of the iPhone are compelling users to access their personal email more frequently.
iPhone users are no different from anyone else when it comes to texting, as 15 percent of their time is spent on this activity.
About iSuppli’s ConsumerTrak service
iSuppli’s ConsumerTrak service provides quarterly survey information on the opinions and buying decisions of U.S. consumers. Data in this release was derived from a fourth-quarter survey of 50,000 U.S. households.
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