Having Apps and Using Apps are Not Synonymous

The latest PEW research in USA (you can download a summary via the link) says clearly: having apps and using apps are not synonymous.

Of US adults who have apps on their phones, only about two-thirds of this group (68%) actually use that software. This means that 24% of U.S. adults are active apps users.

Older adult cell phone users in particular do not use the apps that are on their phones, and 1 in 10 adults with a cell phone (11%) are not even sure if their phone is equipped with apps.

Reading the headlines, the media has distorted this report by emphasing only the lack of use of apps. But the report is called THE RISE OF APP CULTURE.

And its conclusion is apps users are younger, more educated, and more affluent than other cell phone users. The apps user population skews male, and is much younger, more affluent, and more educated than other adults. (In USA, the apps-using population also skews slightly Hispanic when compared with other adult cell phone users.)

Those who download apps do so frequently: 53% say their most recent download was in the past 30 days ( and 33% say their last download was in the past week). Looking at all cell phone-using adults in the study, that equals 15% who downloaded apps in the past month and 10% who have downloaded apps in the past week. When you look at cell phone users under age 30, 20% downloaded an app in the past week.

While its US-based research, this free report is worth reading. There is so much to digest that we'll be using it for several news items.

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