NPD: 75 percent of US iPhone, iPod touch users download content, other 25 percent think Opera Mini is a tiny concert
By Sean Hollister 
posted May 5th 2010 7:58AM
posted May 5th 2010 7:58AM
While we can't honestly imagine an iDevice user going about their life without connecting to the iTunes App Store at least once in a blue moon -- if not on a semi-permanent basis -- the statistically-significant NPD Group decided to look into the matter regardless. Sure enough, the org reports that a full three-quarters of iPhone and iPod touch users in the US do indeed download apps and entertainment content from the internet. In case you're wondering, that figure beats the pants off those connecting from their video game consoles (19 percent) or Blu-ray players (17 percent), but both of those are obviously biased towards physical, disc-based media. Before you dismiss these findings as obvious, however, let's read between the lines -- if 75 percent of Apple's touchscreen devices are pulling content from the web, that means the other one-quarter have gone without. If not apps, what the heck are those devices being used for?
internet browsing? youtube?
@erwin
No, its crap. Its pretty annoying to use on my G1, i cant imagine itll be any better on an iphone.
@Oskiee
... i fail at replying to comments.
@Oskiee Nope, that's the Engadget comment section at work, botching someone's comment at least once an article.
I have very few apps on my iPhone. I mainly use it for web-browsing, emailing, and maps to find addresses/restaurants/stores on the go. It's just such an easy interface to use that for these limited functions it's the best out there, especially considering the $99 purchase price and that data rates are the same for all phones. Might as well get the better user interface of the iPhone.
And really, even if you download apps, is that app really what you use the most on the phone? I wager that browsing, email, and maybe social networking are the main uses for the vast majority of iPhones out there. I cannot imagine playing a game on the iPhone like one would play a game on a Nintendo DS, for instance. DS games have storylines, plots, goals and objectives. iPhone games are just to waste time and be an impulse buy for a common hardware platform.
Oh, and what's with all of those free "Sex Position" and Bikini Fashion etc. apps in the app store? Seeing that crap in the AppStore is enough to make me consider buying a Blackberry. Is the average age of iPhone users 12? I'm turning on Parental Controls on my iPhone just so I don't have to consider how juvenile the marketplace actually is.
Got a friend who knows shit about smartphones. Yet he uses a iPhone. I helped him get some songs on it and he seem happy to use just that. Tried to make him download some apps but never saw him use any.
@erwin
"If not apps, what the heck are those devices being used for?"
Gee, I don't know. I heard of this one guy who made like calls with this device. Craaaazy I say.
@Abacus
Why did you have to help him with the songs if the iPhone/iTunes is supposed to be so easy?
@James Sonne I had reservations about the iPhone as a gaming platform, but it's actually excellent. Bonus is that you have it on ya all the time as well!
Games like Grand Theft Auto show the depth that the iPhone can do. Loads of quality games, in between all the S***
@James Sonne
My number one app is, of course... Engadget :) Other top favorites:
Digg
WeDict Pro (useful when living in a foreign country)
Flashcards (useful for studying a foreign language when living in a foreign country)
CNN (better interface than Safari for headline type news)
iXpenseIt (for keeping track of my expenses, duh)
Tweetie (Twitter client)
Last.fm (for streaming music)
In fact, I hardly use Safari. So much so that I actually took it off my dock and replaced it with SMS.
As for "I cannot imagine playing a game on the iPhone like one would play a game on a Nintendo DS, for instance.". Maybe you can't imagine it because it sounds like you never do it. I've actually stopped playing my Xbox, 80% of my gaming nowadays is on the iPhone. Despite its limitations, it's a great gaming platform. And yes, the games do in fact "plots, goals and objectives". If you don't believe me, try Space Miner, Battle for Wesnoth, Inotia 2, N.O.V.A., and many more.
@James Sonne Hey Moose, it's about 20 times worse on the Palm Pre. Although I personally don't care about the content per-se, most of the apps are just spam and crap.
@James Sonne So does seeing p0rn pay-per-view on your cable channel guide make you want to switch to HD Radio?
The beauty of the App store is the choice. For every boobies app I've rolled my eyes at, I've found many more amazing ones that I can't imagine not having a phone for- Hipstamatic, iCab, Moes Notes, Soundhound, Sketchbook, Navigon, LogmeIn, NOVA, Real Racing, Doodlejump, Strip design, Reel Director, Photo Forge, Air Video.... and on and on for another 120+ apps, LOL....
@tonicboy
Gaming on the iPhone / iPod Touch blows. There is no way you can justify it as a serious gaming replacement. It's fine if you want to waste 5 minutes while you are waiting for a haircut. Beyond that ... what a complete let-down.
There are lots of great things going for the device. Serious gaming isn't one of them.
@bjsguess Try Zenonia 2, Plants Vs Zombies, or Civ Rev. I've killed entire transatlantic flights with them. iPhone gaming has come a long way since Super Monkey Ball and Cro-Mag Rally.
@James Sonne
"what's with all of those free "Sex Position" and Bikini Fashion etc. apps in the app store?...I'm turning on Parental Controls so I don't have to consider how juvenile the marketplace is."
*Sniff*...*Sniff* Hmm... Irony?
@tonicboy Wow, r u serious? Maybe u r a casual gamer or always on the go or too lazy to turn on ur Xbox.
I can't imagine someone having a better gaming experience on the iPhone than xbox/ps3/psp/Ds.
I played AC, RE5, NOVA, Dracula, etc. Any games involving more than one touch input suck compared to the same game on a real gaming platform.
The best experience I had with gaming on the iPhone so far is no touch input at all or one touch input games. Then again the novelty wears off after 1 or 5 min because most of them are repetitive. I have yet to try games like CIV Rev, Monkey Island se (already own it on Xbox).
Even a touchscreen with physical keyboard like the droid should give a better gaming experience than the iPhone.
Frankly the iPhone is only good for casual gaming. It definitively can't replace a Xbox/ps3/psp/ds unless u play only indie games on ur gaming console.
@SeeKo What's the point of buying an iPhone, if you're just going to make calls? What's the point of buying even ANY smartphone, if you're just going to make calls??
@Yeria
Very good point!
You should ask that the 25% iPhone and iPod Touch owners who paid hundreds of dollars or made commitments to overpriced mobile contracts for such basic use. That's the price of being cool I guess.
@erwin Probably internet browsing.. Although I agree that somehow opera is not as popular in the iPhone as it is on the desktop. http://j.mp/opera-desktops-fastest-browser
My dad simply bought an iPod Touch because he needed an easy to use music player.
He has yet to download anything to the device and I don't think he will. I guess the other 25% are just people who bought the devices for their primary purpose rather than using it as a games console.
@aeth at which the iphone isn't terribly good at. for calls/sms, there are better options out there including Blackberries I'd say
@JRKScope
I believe he said iPod Touch, not iPhone.
@Tombio fail on my part >_<
yeah in that case why not i guess
@JRKScope
Blackberries are also orders of magnitude more complicated. Maybe not to you and I, but to someone that isn't a techie (i.e. my dad) using an iPhone is easy. When we were trying to get him to use my mom's Blackberry however...
@Tombio
That said, there are many better and more simplistic media players out there than an iPod Touch... No offence, but it's not the best decision to make to get an Apple MP3 player just for music playback.
I'm stunned at the amount of people that don't download content on their consoles (that is, if it's only current gen) - they're missing out on so much - loads of great games are only available through PSN and XBL (can't really say much for the Wii since I don't have one).
@aeth I absolutely loathed the music interface on my iPhone which I'm sure the iTouch shared. Simple is one way to describe it. I felt it was horrible overly simplified and the album and song navigation left tons to be desired. I still carried my Zune around as my primary music player and only put a few cd's I had ripped to MP3 on my iPhone.
@Shokz Sure, but it is normal for people to make uninformed decisions. Not everybody spends the day looking at specs like us :)
I have friends who bought the iPod Touch, because it's fun for them to use the touchscreen. Can't say it's a bad decision if they like it.
@aeth the point is, that you just don't shell +200$ out just to listen to music. You should have told him to get an ipod classic/nano. Srsly using an ipod touch JUST for music is such a waste :(
@aeth the point is, that you just don't shell +200$ out just to listen to music. You should have told him to get an ipod classic/nano. Srsly using an ipod touch JUST for music is such a waste :( And not all apps are games, in fact, there are some actually good productivity apps.
@drkztan "the point is, that you just don't shell +200$ out just to listen to music."
You are talking for everyone here?
@drkztan Some people just want to listen to music. And $200 is nothing to them. How hard is it to understand that?
@BigJayDogg3 A child could operate a blackberry.
@rhomaion
But that child could operate an iPhone even easier.
I'm a "techie" (but not a fanboy) and even I have a little trouble when friends and family ask me to change some setting on their BlackBerry. On ease of use, it's really no contest.
@rhomaion
(I'll assume you didn't mean that to be malicious.)
A child who has been raised on computers maybe. But for someone who's a technophobe, no, operating a Blackberry is not easy.
@Atkins He probably isn't, but you can't deny that buying an iPod Touch just for the sake of listening to music is a stupid thing to do. There are tons of mp3 players out there that just plays music and plays them better at a lower price.
@appleipad it's a good start. if they resolve the zoom related problem, i think they will gain more users
Love miPhone can't wait for the new one
calling people? music?
@kimleelson
There are better (unless you really like iTunes) and especially way cheaper alternatives for that.
It seems irrational to buy an iPhone just for that. Especially in the US, where you are forced to buy an expensive "smartphone plan" with mandatory data.
@Endadget
Yes, but most regular people don't actually know that. Most flame wars kick off due to the age old chicken and egg argument, is Apple popular because of making great products or is it popular because of marketing hype? I would say the fact I know several people who don't know how to use apps or who have no interest in them but decided to get an iPhone anyway due to heavy advertising are proof of the latter.
@Tes It's both. They make good products and they market based on that.
@Atkins
The consensus so far "above and below) is if you're ONLY going to use the iPhone as a phone, or the iPod as a media player, there are actually more compelling and cost effective devices out there.
@Tes The consensus of a few people who are spending their time looking at specs? :)
There are some factors you are forgetting:
People buying an iPhone not because of its multitude of features, but for the seamless experience they will have with their Macs.
The coolness factor - not to show off, but as a toy to play with.
Browsing - I know people who bought their iPod touches just for the browsing while using cheap dumbphones.
@Tes
Talking to a fanboy, is like talking to a wall. Your best bet is to smile politely and move on.
@daytripper See that's what's stupid about you. A person can't possibly actually like an iphone or some apple product because they are automatically labeled a "fanboy". That's getting so old and so lame. Guess what... not everyone thinks like you and not everyone likes the same things as you. There's folks who like the iphone better than anything else out there. Try to deal with that and make it through the day. It's not a big deal.
@Tes
If you see Atkins, he reply every single replay.
This is beyond Fanboy. In S-Korea, People call this kind of person as Part time from company(this case Apple). They are hired for protect their product, and trolling competition. Yeah, Actually they are not part time most of times (some times YES).
Atkins' replays are way to many. I wonder what is his job. Also I wonder he will give comment on this.
@raiden8383 Oh, surely I will reply.
"...he reply every single replay. This is beyond Fanboy.(...) and trolling competition."
I thought trolling is making provocative and irrelevant comments. But I may be biased. Please, do tell me where I am flaming or irrelevant.
"Atkins' replays are way to many. I wonder what is his job."
Well, let's say I am in the finance and design at the same time :) And yes, I am on a holiday and the weather is bad.
@Atkins I bought my mom an iPhone 3G which she only uses for checking her work e-mail, contacts, and calender. She reads the news on it using the apps I downloaded from the app store. She'll occasionally use Safar for Googling things, and just "discovered" the Youtube application. I doubt she'll ever "discover" the App Store". Ohh and she has never ever connected it to you PC to use iTunes, and I doubt she ever will use it as an MP3 player.
How's that for atypical? An iPhone never used for playing music. Haha.
But the point is, she loves the iPhone b/c its so easy. I've run into technophobe friends that have Andriod phones and they are ALWAYS confused about what they/the phone is doing. Hell they don't even know their phone runs Android. They just bought it b/c the store clerk sold them on it, and it looks cool. The iPhone would be a better choice for these people even if they never use the app store or hook it up to a computer.
Cool factor.. Or the me too factor.