Android And iPhone Users Share Similar App Tastes

A report from AdMob has revealed the smartphone similarities between users of the Apple iPhone and the Google Android platform, at least in terms of downloaded mobile applications.

AdMob conducted opt-in surveys with consumers using devices that run the iPhone, iPod touch, Android and webOS platforms and found Android and iPhone users to be downloading applications at very similar levels.

“However, iPhone users continue to download more paid applications, with 50 percent of users purchasing at least one paid application a month compared to 21 percent of Android users,” said the report. “The survey also included consumers on [Palm] webOS devices and found that while they were active, they downloaded fewer paid and free applications.”

On average, of the 8.8 applications downloaded by iPhone users, 1.8 were paid for. iPod touch users pay for 1.6 of the 12.1 apps they download each month, while Android users pay for 1.1 of 8.7 apps and webOS users pay for 0.6 of the 5.7 apps they download each month.

iPhone and iPod touch users, of course, also have access to more applications, free or not, than Android or webOS users. The Apple App Store offers more than 100,000 applications, while Google’s Android Market is stocked with 20,000-plus and the Palm App Catalog has grown to approximately 1,000 strong.

Still, iPhone users actually spent the least amount of time using their applications each day, reports AdMob. While, on average, iPod touch users spent approximately 100 minutes a day using their applications, webOS users spent 87 minutes, Android users spent 80 minutes and iPhone users spent 79 minutes.

AdMob additionally found the Internet device category to be speeding along, accounting for 12 percent of ad requests in a July survey and approximately 17 percent in January. (Morgan Stanley reported in December that, within five years, it expects more people to connect to the Internet using a mobile device than a desktop PC.)

It also turn out that Android users are predominantly – 73 percent – male, while iPhone use is pretty equally split between the sexes. The iPhone crowd was also found to be a rather mature one, with the average user being 14 years older than the average iPod touch user – 78 percent of whom are under 24.

Apple’s more mature crowd was, on average, also happier with their devices, with 91 percent of iPhone users saying they’d recommend their device, while only 77 percent of iPod touch, 84 percent of Android and 69 percent of webOS users said the same.

Additional data can be found at the AbMob website.