The increasing popularity of smartphones is obvious. Wednesday’s announcement of the iPhone 5 is on the front page of nearly every news website, while Google announced Tuesday that 500 million Android devices have been activated globally, with 1.3 million added every single day.
Yet it seems that there is much more room to grow. According to a new Pew Internet survey, less than half of Americans today own a smartphone.
Pew surveyed 3,014 adults between Aug. 7 – Sept. 6 and found that 45-percent of American adults own smartphones.
So, perhaps, that could still give a little bit of hope to Microsoft whose market share for smartphones comes in at a dismal 3.6 percent.
As expected, smartphones are most popular in the 18-to-29 year-old age range, with 66-percent of young adults owning one. Annual household income also goes hand-in-hand with smartphone ownership — the higher the income, the more likely the person owns a smartphone. About 68-percent of those earning more than $75,000 own one.
There has been a 10-percent increase in smartphone ownership since May 2011. But it’s interesting to note that there has been little change in owners since February of this year. Still, there has been a 100-million device increase for Android phones just in the past three months.
It does appear that smartphones are replacing feature cell phones — devices that have capabilities to text and call, but not more advanced functionality. About 34-percent of Americans own a feature phone, which is 12-percent fewer than those with smartphones.
Some (5-percent) still do not know if they own a smartphone, and there are those who live without a cell phone. Pew found that 15 percent of American adults do without one.
Correction: Headline changes made at 2:45 p.m.
