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Nielsen taps most anticipated games, Modern Warfare 3 on top
The Nielsen firm has compiled a list of the top twenty most anticipated games this holiday season. The survey ranks games based on the percentage of players that ranked them in their top five choices for the holiday. Unsurprisingly, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was at the top of the list, with fully 27 percent of those surveyed placing it in their top five. Rounding out the top five, Gears of War 3 and Madden NFL 12 both pulled 19 percent, Assassin's Creed Revelations made 17 percent and Batman: Arkham City reached 15 percent. The holiday's major Wii exclusive, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword made the sixth slot with 14 percent. Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3's major competition, reached number seven at 12 percent. Also worth noting: Dead Island, at 7 percent, marks the only game on the entire list that isn't part of an established franchise. The survey also includes a fascinating peek into the psyche of various players, making note of the online conversations surrounding each title. For example, Modern Warfare 3 fans are looking forward to launch parties, and Skyward Sword devotees are hoping to rekindle that old Ocarina of Time feeling. Madden armchair quarterbacks, meanwhile, are planning to call in sick in order to squeeze in a few more touchdowns.
Android powered 56 percent of smartphones sold in the last three months
When last we checked in with Nielsen (which was earlier this month) Google's mobile OS had a sizable lead, powering just under 42-percent of smartphones sold, while Apple had cornered a more than respectable 28-percent of the market. In the few short weeks since, Android has seen its share grow to 43-percent. More interestingly, of the over 25,500 surveyed who had purchased a smartphone in the last three months, a whopping 56-percent chose to go with the Goog. Apple held a steady 28-percent across the board. Big G's gains came at the expense of RIM (only 9-percent of phones sold in the last three months were BlackBerries) and the ambiguous "other" (Symbian, Windows Phone 7, Bada, MeeGo, etc... accounted for 6-percent of sales). More important than choice of platform though, is that smartphone sales in general are climbing -- accounting for 58-percent of all handsets sold in August and driving smartphone penetration to 43-percent.
Nielsen: Android adoption doubled iOS over last three months
BGR reports this morning that Android phones are growing rapidly in market share in the US. That's the word from the Nielsen Company, which just released research conducted in August. Customer surveys showed that over the last 3 months, ending in August, twice as many people purchased an Android-based phone as bought an iPhone. The percentages are 58% for Android, 28% for Apple. The Apple share has been holding steady in the last few Nielsen surveys. The Nielsen numbers also show that smartphone sales are growing, as more people upgrade from standard cell phones or feature phones. According to Nielsen's research, 43% of the total population of cellphones are smartphones. For the 4th quarter, Nielsen sees a resurgence in the iPhone due to new hardware that should be announced any day. "Every time Apple launches a new iPhone or makes it available on a new wireless carrier, there is an increase in their sales," Don Kellogg, Director of Telecom Research & Insights at Nielsen, wrote today on the Nielsen blog. The numbers also indicate a perilous slide for BlackBerry and 'other' phones which continue to lose marketshare. Not great news for Microsoft Windows Phone 7, but Redmond hopes that the alliance with Nokia will stop the bleeding. Note: As of this writing, the link to the report on the Nielsen site is broken.
Nielsen confirms Android on top, buyers split on next smartphone
In a recent report from Nielsen, Google snagged 40 percent of the smartphone market, while Apple captured approximately 28 percent -- up just barely .01 percentage point from last year. This report coincides with findings filed earlier this week by ComScore, citing Google with 41.8 percent market share and Apple with 27 percent, up one whole percentage point from last year. Diving a bit deeper, Nielsen found that around 33 percent of people planning to buy a smartphone in the next year want an iPhone, while another 33 percent would prefer an Android. The tie between those who want an Android v. an iOS phone fluctuated when Nielsen asked the "early adopters" within the group what kind of phone they are hoping to cop. 40 percent of "innovators" said they would like a phone on Google's OS, while 32 percent want a bite of the Apple -- leaving a mere 28 percent of self-proclaimed tech junkies desiring something else, like a BlackBerry or Windows Phone. Perhaps these figures are an indication that Google will remain on top for 2012, or will there be an upset? Only time will tell.
Nielsen: Android accounts for 39 percent of smartphones in the US, Apple is the top device maker
Nielsen's just released a study confirming what some other studies have already concluded -- that Android devices account for the single largest swath of smartphone users in the US, with 39 percent OS share as of the second quarter. That compares with 28 percent for iOS, although Apple still reigns as the country's top-selling device maker. Simply put, that's a reflection of the fact that Apple is the only outfit churning out iOS devices, whereas a bevy of companies led by HTC, Motorola, and Samsung have helped make Android the dominant OS in the states. And let's not forget about RIM, another hardware / software shop, which still commands a 20 percent chunk of the market. Rounding out the list, Windows Phone and Windows Mobile account for nine percent, largely thanks to sales of HTC handsets, while webOS and Symbian each eked out two percent. At this point we don't doubt that Android is the most ubiquitous mobile operating system this side of the Atlantic, although it's worth noting that Nielsen based its results on a sample of roughly 20,000 people -- all of whom are postpaid subscribers.
'Half of all Netflix users connect via a game console,' Nintendo Wii used most
Sorry Jackie boy, but it seems that Sony's PlayStation 3 has been dethroned as king of streaming Netflix. That's according to a recent Nielsen survey that pegs the Nintendo Wii as the most used device in households to stream Netflix (outside of the computer, of course), and puts all three gaming consoles in the lead in terms of Netflix streaming to devices. The survey, based on 12,000 online interviews in March 2011, weighs a variety of devices against each other in terms of Netflix and Hulu streaming, from Apple TV on the low end at just one percent market share, to "Directly on Computer" as the most employed method at 42 percent for Netflix and 89 percent for Hulu. The Xbox 360 brought up the bottom of the list in terms of game consoles, with just 12 percent of Netflix users going that route and two percent of Hulu users. The real bizarre factoid in this graph is that the Nintendo Wii is also (just barely) streaming more Hulu content than the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 -- especially odd considering there's no official support for Hulu on the Wii. We've reached out to Nielsen for clarification on that possibly erroneous statistic. Update: Nielsen explained the Hulu on Nintendo Wii statistic as such: "The reason the survey shows 3% answering this way can be attributed to respondent error, which is common in survey research. In other words, because the survey measures self-reported usage, there can be a small margin of error in which some respondents will answer this way."
Nielsen: Apple is the leading manufacturer, iOS the #2 platform
The June Nielsen numbers are out for the US smartphone market and they uphold the trend we have been seeing for the past several months. Android is the leading smartphone platform with a 39% marketshare, while iOS grabs 28% to claim second spot. RIM's BlackBerry OS slides into third with a 20% marketshare. When these numbers are broken down by manufacturer, Apple is the clear leader. Though Android grabs a majority 39% of the overall US smartphone market, its share is spread among more than four manufacturers with leader HTC (14%) edging out Motorola (11%). Apple is the sole manufacturer of iOS devices and doubles HTC's 14% share with a 28% market grab. [Via AllThingsD]
25 percent of Netflix users stream on the Wii, think composite cables are just fine
We all know that streaming Hoarders and other guilty pleasures via the interwebs has taken off over the past few years. No news there. However, what may be surprising is that, despite the ability to stream in HD to a number of other devices (including your computer), a quarter of all Netflix subscribers view Swamp People by way of the Wii. That's right, 1080p doesn't matter for these folks, who prefer to live the simple life... and by that we mean life in standard def. Most viewers prefer to watch instantly via PC for both Netflix and Hulu, with a whopping 89 percent of Plus customers taking this route to catch up on The Daily Show. With those looking to ditch the red envelope and, you know, with Mad Men now available, Wii viewers are sure to increase as a new console is just around the corner. Because nothing says 1960s drama like 480p, right?
Nielsen: majority of US app purchases are games, iOS users play twice as long
Apparently, folks in the US love gaming on their mobile devices and really don't mind forking over dead presidents to do so. That's according to a recent 30-day study by Nielsen pertaining to apps across mobile platforms. The company found gaming apps to be the most popular in that period, citing that 64 percent of users played and 93 percent would pay to play. The average amount of time spent gaming was 7.8 hours, although iOS users took the award for most dedicated by nearly doubling that to 14.7 hours. Android loyalists followed with 9.3 hours of fun times, but those with BlackBerry, Windows, and "feature phones" kept things closer to business hitting under five hours each. Also notable, is that people rocking Berries and dumbphones usually opted for pre-installed games over downloads. You'll find the full breakdown by hitting the source link, and we'll get back to besting our Real Racing 2 lap times.
Nielsen: smartphones dominate among new subscribers; Android leads, iOS surges, RIM falters
Visit any mobile retailer and you're likely to notice that smartphones are becoming mighty popular. In fact, Nielsen now reports that these wondrous creations now account for more than half of all mobile phone sales -- 55 percent, to be exact -- compared to 34 percent one year ago. The study, which consists of data from March through May of 2011, suggests that while smartphones continue to be outnumbered by feature phones, penetration has risen from 29.7 to 38 percent in a matter of months. Nielsen further states that while Android remains the dominant platform (with 38 percent market share), its growth appears only steady, despite Andy Rubin's recent assertion. Meanwhile, iOS (with a 27 percent stake) is experiencing quite the growth and now accounts for 17 percent of all new activations. Unlike the folks in Mountain View and Cupertino, the crew in Waterloo have reason to worry: RIM's market share has fallen from 27.4 to 21 percent in a few short months, and the platform now accounts for only six percent of new activations. If you're interested in finding out more, just follow the break for another snapshot of the mobile world. And if you're feeling generous, you might consider sending Sirs Lazaridis and Balsillie a get well soon card.
Nielsen study shows climbing iPhone sales in the US
Nielsen has released the results of a new survey of mobile phone users in the US, and the word (almost) all around is growth. More and more people are buying smartphones, and while Android currently sits in the most popular smartphone spot (with 38% of smartphone owners holding Android devices), the iPhone is the fastest growing smartphone over the past few months. That's not to say that Android's not growing -- the whole market segment is. But according to Nielsen, the Verizon iPhone has spurred a new jump in iPhone sales recently. Where's the picture not so rosy? At RIM -- the Blackberry line of phones has shrunk in market share by nearly five percent, and that's a trend that's probably not over quite yet. While much of this smartphone audience consists of completely new users to the market, there still has to be a loser, and for now, RIM is it. That said, the smartphone market in general is booming, showing a real transition from the days of simpler feature phones to more functional devices. [via Ars]
Average US smartphone data usage climbs 89%, cost per MB drops 46%
Using your iPhone more and more? You're not alone. Data usage on all smartphones is soaring, according to new research by Nielsen. In a monthly analysis of cell phone bills for more than 65,000 lines, smartphone users, especially iPhone and Android users, are using more data than ever. Nielsen notes that 37% of all US mobile users have smartphones. Comparing data from a year ago, smartphone data consumption is up 89%, averaging a monthly 435 MB. Nielsen also notes that users are paying about the same for data as they were a year ago, so when factoring in the increased usage, the cost per unit has dropped about 50%. These numbers have huge implications for carriers who are surely going to want to increase prices to make up for the explosion of data consumption. Most carriers, including AT&T, have dropped unlimited data plans, and it's likely that when new models of phones come out, AT&T and the others will force those who are grandfathered with unlimited plans to give them up.
Are The Beatles responsible for music's digital growth in 2011?
Nielsen announced yesterday that music sales in the US are up 1.6 percent in 2011. That might not seem like a lot, but for the embattled music industry, any growth is good news. Interestingly, Nielsen seems to ascribe the growth of music sales to The Beatles' deal with Apple. As Nielsen says in its report, "Catalog album sales are up 5.4 percent in 2011, thanks in part to a long-awaited 2010 deal allowing digital distribution of The Beatles' albums for the first time." The Fab Four's music exclusively went on sale on iTunes in November to much fanfare. I, for one, hate when someone can't admit when they were wrong, so let me say that I myself didn't think The Beatles news was that big of a deal. If Nielsen is right, it looks like I was very wrong. However, Peter Kafka at All Things D does seems to come to my rescue by saying that he has "a hard time believing the 'Love Me Do' bump extended into March and April," six months after The Beatles' debut on iTunes. But with the music industry the way it is, maybe The Beatles did help fuel a turnaround. Other interesting stats from the Nielsen report include a decline in physical album sales year-over-year while digital album and track purchases increased 16.8 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively, and digital retailers, like Apple's iTunes, received more than half of all music transactions.
Engadget Podcast 238 - 05.06.2011
We'll tell you what: if you even blink these days, you're gonna miss a special guest on the Engadget Podcast. This week we've got Joystiq's Chris Grant in the house to shoot the shizzle on Sony's network hurt and the Wii 3D IMAX rumors bubbling up all around us. And we lure Richard Lawler to step out on his old lady, the Engadget HD Podcast, for a romp on the possibly slightly wilder side of the tracks. Let's do it: let's talk tech.Host: Tim StevensGuests: Chris Grant, Brian Heater, Richard LawlerProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: You Shook Me All Night Long02:15 - Apple iMac hands-on, with dual 30-inch displays! (video)03:00 - Apple iMac refresh official: Thunderbolt and next gen quad-core processors03:45 - AT&T officially announces HP Veer 4G, available May 15th for $100 (update)04:55 - Star Wars Blu-ray set ships Sept. 12th/16th (world/NA), has 40 hours of special features06:35 - Dish Network, EchoStar will pay TiVo $500 million to settle DVR lawsuit07:55 - Latest Windows 8 leaks reveal cloud-based settings, more app store evidence09:35 - Droid Charge review11:16 - Verizon document suggests LG Revolution will have Netflix pre-installed13:47 - Sony promises 'phased restoration' of PlayStation Network and Qriocity starting this week20:22 - Sony woes continue as SOE confirms data breach (update: 24.6 million accounts affected)31:03 - Sony responds to Congress: all 77 million PSN accounts compromised, finger pointed at Anonymous33:52 - BlackBerry Bold 9900 hands-on (update: video)34:30 - BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 (Bold Touch) official34:45 - BlackBerry Bold Touch makes brief appearance on RIM's website35:05 - Android apps on PlayBook eyes-on (video)35:48 - RIM announces BlackBerry 7 OS with better browser and BlackBerry Balance, but no legacy support38:10 - Nintendo drops Wii price to $150 from May 15th, throws in a free Wii Wheel and copy of Mario Kart48:05 - Nielsen estimates show first drop in TV ownership in 20 years, Mayans nod approvingly50:40 - We won some Webby Awards, and now you can win a BlackBerry PlayBook!51:44 - Listener questionsHear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)Contact the podcastSend your questions to @tim_stevens.Twitter: @tim_stevens @bheater @chrisgrant @rjcc
Nielsen: iPad maintains 82% of tablet market
No surprises here: the iPad is dominating the tablet market in the US right now, with over 80 percent of users owning a version of Apple's tablet. The latest survey by Nielsen gives that figure, and says that 3G and Wi-Fi versions are almost equally split among owners, with 39% sticking with Wi-Fi, and 43% preferring 3G. "Dominating" is exactly the right word, too -- the Samsung Galaxy is the next tablet on the list, with only a 4% market share, and the Motorola Xoom only showed up with 2%. Sure, the tablet market is still developing quickly, but for now, Apple has it locked down and then some. Nielsen also polled about how people use their tablets, and over half of users are the only people who use the tablet they own, so it's still a very personal device. 35% of tablet users say they use their desktop computer less, and 32% of tablet and laptop owners say they use the more traditional laptop less. And as for why users are using their tablets, the portability seems to be a big draw, with 31% of respondents listing tablets as "easy to carry/take with you." [via AppleInsider]
Nielsen estimates show first drop in TV ownership in 20 years, Mayans nod approvingly
The Nielsen Company has announced that its estimated number of TV households for 2012 is dropping to 114.7 million (96.7 percent), down from 115.9 million (98.9 percent) the year before which is the first time it's gone down in two decades. While some will say this marks the end of the TV era as we've known it, there are a couple of factors to take into account, starting with how the numbers are gathered -- Nielsen only counts TVs that are capable of tuning into at least one channel. If you've cut the cord and gone all internet / Blu-ray / DVD without putting up an antenna or never upgraded for digital broadcasts (as some rural or low-income homes have not) then your TV doesn't count. After reviewing the numbers and watching Apocalypto twice we still can't tell if this means it's already over for linear TV or if it's more of a temporary bump due to an uncertain economy like it was in 1992. Of course, the fact that we rented the movie on iTunes may be telling.
Nielsen says Android is "most desired" smartphone platform
Nielsen released its early 2011 survey numbers, and the results suggest Android popularity is on the rise and iOS is declining in the US. In this latest consumer survey, Android edges out the iPhone as the most desired smartphone platform. When asking respondents about the next handset they intend to buy, 31.1 percent said they would purchase an Android device, while 30 percent said they wanted an iPhone. This is a 5.6 percentage point increase for Android, which climbed from 25.5 percent, and a 2.7 percentage point decline for iOS, which was previously at 32.7 percent. This earlier survey was taken between July 2010 to September 2010. Interestingly enough, this decline in iOS occurred even though Apple expanded its presence in the US by launching the Verizon iPhone. This early result suggests the expansion of the iPhone to another carrier did little to combat the popularity of Android and stem its tidal wave of devices, many of which are 4G and powered by dual-core processors. So what do you think, are consumers really giving up the polished operating system and robust app store of iOS just for some horsepower? Will there be some buyer's remorse when the iPhone 5 arrives later this year? [Via GigaOM]
Visualized: US smartphone market share, by manufacturer and platform, made pretty
They say a picture is worth a thousand words -- but in this case, a picture is worth tens of billions of dollars in market share. Nielsen has broken down its US smartphone market share stats between November and January in two dimensions -- by market share and by platform -- and stuffed all that data into a single block of mesmerizing color. It's interesting to see the Apple and RIM juggernauts flanked by two imposing, red slivers of HTC, isn't it? The research firm also took a look at platforms by age group; the shares are surprisingly consistent across the board, though Android does have a slight edge with the young'uns. Follow the break for that chart.
Nielsen: US spending less on games, more on outdoor activities
Bad news, friends: We're losing. That's the only way we can digest the latest Nielsen consumer spending report, in which it was revealed that the US national entertainment budget share for games dropped from 9.3 percent in 2009 to 8.5 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, spending on activities that actually require you to cross the threshold of your home into the horrible, dangerous world (like dining out, going to parks, etc.) increased from 20.4 percent to 25.1 percent year-over-year. Okay, so the raw dollar-amount spent on games hardly changed between the last two years -- but the average American's budget increased in 2010, and none of that new money was handed over the video game industry. Instead, people spent it on outdoor activities. Outdoors! Can you imagine? That's where animals live, you guys. [Image credit: Nielson]
iAds more effective than TV advertising, Nielsen finds
Nielsen is reporting, according to the results of a new survey, that Apple's iAds for Campbell's soup products were more than twice as effective as television advertising for the same product. Nielsen says that customers who saw ads for Campbell's in Apple's operating system were five times as likely to recall the brand name, and three times as likely to remember what the ad said. The iAd audience said they were likely to purchase the product five times more than the television audience. Now, Nielsen admits that there could simply be demographic differences here -- the average television audience just may not be as engaged in the brand as the average iAd audience. But either way, results like these are good news for Apple's advertising platform, which we've heard anecdotally has been struggling a bit. Not only are developers not seeing the returns they'd like from the platform, but Apple has missed out on a few big deals with advertisers as well. Results like these show that iAds definitely have a reason for their premium pricing, even if it is a matter of just making sure both audiences and advertisers are coming from the right angle. But premium priced products sold to a certain type of customer? Fortunately, Apple knows a little bit about how to do that.
