Research shows Apple makes top 3 connected devices in US

JiWire culls a requests from approximately 289,000 public Wi-Fi locations in the US and uses this information to produce a quarterly report on mobile devices. Its latest report for Q3 2011 confirms what Apple fans already know -- iOS devices rule in the connected device category.

In its broadest sense, a "connected device" is any device that connects to the Internet. For the sake of this study, connected devices are defined as mobile devices that may or may not have a cellular connection. It's the device you pull out of your bag when you're sitting at Starbucks.

According to JiWire, almost 80 percent of ad requests in the US come from an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The iPhone is number one with 41.9 percent of ad requests, the iPad is second with 23.8 percent and the iPod touch is third with 14.1 percent. Number four is Windows Mobile 7 with 4.9 percent, and the numbers drop precipitously from there.

From quarter to quarter, iOS fell 2 percent, but it still has a significant lead over Android in the US. Ad requests from iOS devices (79.9 percent) are 7 times greater than Android (11.0 percent). Interestingly enough, the mobile platform with the biggest jump is Windows Phone. It's in third place with 5.2 percent of the ad requests, but its quarterly share jumped 1.2 percent. Microsoft recently released Windows Phone 7.5 Mango and unveiled its first Nokia Windows Phone handsets; two factors which could explain this jump

A similar trend occurred in the UK. The iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are the top three connected devices with 71.1 percent of the ad requests. Android is second with 16.6 percent, and Windows Phone is third with 8.1 percent. iOS, though, dropped a significant 6.5 percent, while Windows Phone jumped 5.5%. Android was the only other platform to gain ground last quarter in the UK. It climbed 1.5 percent, while all other platforms fell.

In the US, Apple is clearly in the lead and holding its own against the competition. Apple also dominates in the UK, but it appears that Android and, particularly, Windows Phone took a bite from Apple's lead. Now that the iPhone 4S is available, it will be interesting to see if this trend continues in the current quarter.

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New Trends in Location and Mobile Data Unveiled in JiWire Mobile Audience Insights Report

66 percent prefer to make a purchase in a physical store when within a five-mile radius

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 6, 2011 - JiWire, the leading location-based mobile media company reaching the on-the-go audience, today announced its latest Mobile Audience Insights Report, which examines connected-device adoption, location- and mobile-shopping trends, as well as check-in behavior and public Wi-Fi trends. This quarter's report uncovers several key emerging trends in the location and mobile markets that include the following:

Proximity Marketing – 66 percent prefer to purchase in a physical store within a five-mile radius.
Tablet adoption continues – Tablet usage is up 84 percent since Q4 2010.
Checking-in – Consumers are split evenly between liking, disliking and not interested.
Mobile Device Trends Adoption – iPad, Android and Windows Mobile 7 gain market share in the U.S and U.K.
Mobile Shopping Behavior & Proximity Marketing Trends

In the midst of the U.S. holiday shopping season, the study looks at mobile-shopping behaviors between genders and also highlights consumer attitudes toward shopping online versus in store. Male consumers surpassed female consumers in the shopping department – 73 percent of males make purchases on their mobile devices compared to 61 percent of females. A consumer's proximity to a store significantly influences purchasing behaviors as well. Sixty-six percent of consumers prefer shopping for a $50 dollar item at a regularly visited store if within 5 miles; however, when the same consumers are 20 miles outside of the same store, 72 percent prefer making purchases on their laptop and mobile devices. Other findings include:

18 percent are using a connected device to actually make purchases even when physically in the store.
28 percent of respondents said they comparison shop on a mobile device when in a store.
63 percent of consumers prefer to shop both in store and online; 22 percent prefer to shop exclusively in store.
"The retail experience remains critical. While consumers are increasingly using mobile to research and make purchases, we are seeing that the in-store shopping experience is equally if not more important, even with a tech-savvy audience," said David Staas, senior vice president of marketing at JiWire. "This holiday season, brands have a great opportunity to not only leverage digital and mobile, but also execute 'clicks-to-bricks' approaches to drive in-store traffic, utilizing location and proximity to deliver the right advertising experience."

As people continue to become increasingly mobile and strive for constant connectivity, mobile-device habits have shifted from larger devices like laptops to smaller, more portable devices like smartphones and tablets. Tablet usage has nearly doubled in the past year, growing by 84 percent since Q4 2010. Since last quarter, tablets and smartphones are showing relative growth in usage while other devices like netbooks and laptops have remained stable or declined. Tablet usage is up 20 percent, smartphone usage is up 24 percent and by comparison, laptop usage is down 10 percent. Other key findings include:

Consumer purchase intent is 50 percent higher for smartphones and/or tablets compared to laptops over the next six months (25 percent versus 16 percent), continuing to accelerate the shift in device ownership.
Adults 24 years old and under are more likely to purchase a smartphone and/or laptop in the next six months while adults between the ages of 25 and 44 are more likely to purchase a tablet.
Tablet Adoption Continues, Fueling Mobile Commerce

Since inception, tablets continue to gain popularity with on-the-go consumers, having nearly doubled in growth over the past year. The study determined that the tablet audience is very comfortable making purchases on their device, purchasing items more frequently than just smartphone owners, and often spending more. For example, 82 percent of the tablet audience is willing to make purchases directly on their mobile devices (smartphones or tablets) compared with 76 percent of smartphone owners. Other purchase preferences include the following:

67 percent of tablet owners are willing to spend $50 or more, compared to 57 percent of smartphone owners and 52 percent of laptop.
Electronics, retail, entertainment and travel are the most frequently purchased categories, with tablet owners leading all of these categories in terms of purchase frequency.
Location Media: Consumers Remain Split on Value of the Check-In

Despite all the attention and focus on checking in, the jury is still out when it comes to consumer attitudes around this component of location media. In fact, consumers are split three ways; 35 percent feel positive toward it, 35 percent either do not like it or understand it, while 30 percent do not care about checking in. Additionally, the primary drivers of this trend appear to be among males. For example, 39 percent of males claim that they "like" or "love" checking in while only 30 percent of women feel that way about checking in. Not surprising, the most popular check-in categories are restaurants, hotels, pubs/bars and health clubs.

Mobile Device Trends and Adoption

In Q3 2011, the iPad, Android and Windows Mobile 7 continue to gain market share not only in the U.S., but in the U.K. as well. Likewise, market share continues to decrease when it comes to the iPhone and iPod Touch – in the U.S. and U.K.

Additionally, the U.S. and U.K. both saw a drop in market share with the iOS, but in both cases, it still holds the No. 1 ranking.