TORONTO – With all the talk about apps and mobile, are Canadians really taking to this new mobile landscape? The answer is yes, but far fewer than you might think, according to a recent poll conducted by Ipsos Reid.
The study Mobil-logy Study of Smartphone, Tablet & eReader users in Canada was conducted between mid-December 2010 and mid-January 2011, and in February of 2011. It found that approximately three in every four mobile device users report having downloaded at least one app to their mobile device (71% of smart phone users and 80% of tablet users).
But while this may seem high, context is everything. The study conducted in February shows 23% of on-line adult Canadians aged 18+ own a true smart phone (this excludes web-enabled phones), and 3% of the same own a tablet. Further, it is important to recognize that experience with apps varies considerably among smart phone users, depending on the operating system of their device – 96% of Apple iPhone users report downloading an app, a figure that is pulling up the average, compared to 59% of BlackBerry users and 66% of smart phones using a different operating system, primarily Android.
The variation in app experience between different smart phone operating systems is magnified further when exploring the number of apps users have on their devices. On average, smart phone users estimate they have 19 apps on their device at any one time, while the average number of apps for a tablet is higher at 25. The number goes up considerably among Apple iPhone users, who report five times more apps than BlackBerry users (34 apps versus 6 apps), though it is expected that this gap will narrow as BlackBerry moves to a more sophisticated operating system.
Canadian mobile app users favour the Weather Network app – 40% of smart phone users who have downloaded a weather app have the Weather Network app on their device. That proportion for tablets is slightly less at 35%.
Mary Beth Barbour, SVP of Ipsos Reid, described apps as “fundamental to device engagement” and predicts that as mobile penetration becomes mainstream, so too will the proportion of app users in Canada.
“Results from our Mobil-ology study suggest that smart phones and tablets represent two very different value propositions for their users,” Barbour said in a news release. “The smart phone in principal delivers on utility, yet the tablet fundamentally serves an entertainment purpose. Where we do see similarities between the two mobile devices relates to the genres of apps Canadians are using. Regardless of device, weather and gaming apps top the list in terms of popularity.”
