iPhone, Android Users Not So Different, Says Report Tweet

iPhone and Android smartphone users have been found to be surprisingly similar when it comes to application downloading habits, says a new report from AdMob. Its survey also found that Android users are predominantly male, and iPod touch users won’t be running for president any time soon.

Apple users have been said to be a breed apart, but a Feb. 25 report from AdMob reveals that the behavior of Apple iPhone and Google Android platform users is “remarkably similar” when it comes to 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.

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