Google has made a new set of data available at their Our Mobile Planet site covering research into the use of smartphones for 2012:
The site contains a set of reports on mobile usage by country, but also makes the entire dataset of the research available as both a file and also via an interactive charting tool.
Being from the UK I was particularly interested in the report for here which has the following observations in its Executive Summary:
- Smartphones have become an indispensable part of our daily lives
- Smartphones have transformed consumer behaviour
- Smartphones help users navigate the world
- Smartphones have changed the way consumers shop
- Smartphones help advertisers connect with consumers
There are a number of really interesting statistics too:
- Smartphone penetration has grown from 30% in 2011 to 51% in 2012
- 78% of smartphone owners don’t leave home without their device
- 72% of smartphone owners use them at work
- 64% of smartphone owners access the Internet at least once a day and emailing is still the most popular usage
- 21% would rather give up the TV than their smartphone
- 80% of people use their smartphone while doing other things, 55% of them while watching the TV
- and many more…
This would ring true from what I am seeing out-and-about, and the observations are similar across the globe.
Here’s one of the charts for men of my age group and the importance of the smartphone, 74% won’t leave home without their phone and 20% would rather give up their computer than give up their smartphone:
Graham Chastney 