US Now Has More Than 100 Million Smartphone Users — comScore

Yesterday comScore released its monthly report on mobile market share among device makers and operating systems. There were no revelations or startling facts. Android and iOS continue their gains, while others lag or are in decline. The trend is especially worrisome for Microsoft’s fledgling Windows Phone.

Mobile internet just under half PC internet population

The one piece of news is comScore’s pronouncement that there are now more than 100 million smartphone users in the US market. That would mean, effectively, that the mobile internet user population is just under half its PC counterpart, using comScore’s figures. By contrast, Nielsen reported that there were more than 100 million smartphone users a few months ago.

Smartphone penetration

According to comScore 43 percent of mobile subscribers have smartphones. However Nielsen reports US smartphone penetration is at 48 percent. And the Pew Internet Project recently found that 53 percent of US mobile phone owners have smartphones.

Despite the lower comScore percentage figure I think we can safely say that the US smartphone population is now at or about 50 percent.

As has been true for the past few months comScore found that the mobile browser and mobile apps saw roughly equal usage among all mobile phone owners, including non-smartphone owners.

According to survey data released by Google in February, the average US smartphone owner has 26 apps installed, including 6 paid apps, and has used 11 apps in the past 30 days.

Source: Google-Ipsos (2012), n=1,000 respondents in each country represented