7/28/2019 Economic snapshot: Mobile phones

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ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT | MOBILE PHONES

A first: Majority of U.S. adultsnow own a smartphone

For the first time since the Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life Project began systematically trackingsmartphone adoption, a majority of Americans now own a smartphone of some kind. Heres a look at the growth:

35%

48%

17%

46%

41%

12%

56%

35%

9%

Smartphone Other

cellphone

No

cellphone

May 2011

February 2012

May 2013

Changes in smartphoneownership, 201113Percentage of all U.S. adults who own

Samsung leadsthe pack

Smartphone ownership by income/age

Annual global shipments

of smartphones grew bymore than 40 percent last

year, and Samsung

accounted for a quarter of

them, according to

Strategy Analytics.

Overall global shipments

Top makers

700.1

25.2%

21.3

40.3

8.64.6

490.5

In millions of units

Market share for newshipments, 2012

2012

Samsung

Nokia

Apple

Others

ZTE

2011

SOURCES: BBC; McClatchy-TribuneSOURCE: Pew Research Center SOURCE: Pew Research Center

SOURCE: Pew Research Center

SOURCE: Pew Research Center

15%

20%

28%

10%

19%

25%

10%

6%

4%

2%

2%

1%

May2011

Feb.2012

May2013

iPhone

Android

Blackberry

Windows

Cell ownerplatform choicesPercentage of U.S.

cellphone owners who say

their phone is

Smartphone ownershipby demographic group

Every major demographic groupexperienced significant year-to-year

growth in smartphone ownership

between 2012 and 2013, although

seniors defined as those 65 and

older continue to exhibit relatively

low adoption levels compared with

other demographic groups.

Percentage within each group who own a smartphone

Men

Women

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+

White

Black

Hispanic

59%

53%

79%

81%

69%

55%

39%

18%

53%

64%

60%

Gender

Age

Ethnicity

77%

47%

22%

8%

81%

68%

40%

21%

90% 87%

72%

43%

Less than $30,000 $30,000-$74,999 $75,000+

65+50-6430-4918-29

The bottom line

Adam Vital, AT&T vice president/

general manager, North TexasAaron W. Smith, senior researcher,

Pew Research Centers Internet &

American Life Project

Jim Rossman,

The Dallas Morning News

Today, people want to be connected

to whats important to them wherever

they are, whether its to share photos

and experiences with friends, check

the news of the day or to find the

closest restaurant. Thats why the

popularity of the smartphone and

the tablet continues to skyrocket.

Were in a mobile

revolution. People

want to be

untethered and enjoy

the freedom that

mobile technology

provides.

The research shows seniors are still

slow to adopt smartphones only

18 percent have one but I hear

from plenty of seniors who are

anxious to learn about technology.

Their questions show they dont

want to be left behind, and theyre

also ready to show their

grandchildren what

they know.

In less than a decade, smartphones

have become the information appliance

of choice for a substantial majority of

Americans. And while users welcome

the convenience and connectivity, they

also worry about the downsides of

hyper-connectedness from new

distractions and interruptions, to new

difficulties escaping the

demands of the

workplace.

By MICHAEL HOGUEStaff Artist

mhogue@dallasnews.com