Published: July 10, 2006
M:metrics: Will Smarter Phones Drive Mobile Content Consumption?
SEATTLE-July 10, 2006-M:Metrics, the mobile market authority, today issued the findings of its May Benchmark Survey. The firm found that while smart-phone owners comprise a small percentage of the overall population of mobile phone users, large percentages of smart-phone users are consuming mobile content. Contrary to popular belief, those carrying these powerful devices are not using them exclusively for productivity applications, but are also using them to view mobile video, play mobile games and listen to mobile music in addition to using them for personal e-mail and wireless Web access.
Table 1: Smart-phone penetration and consumption
Country Smart-phone penetration Played downloaded game Watched mobile video Used E-Mail Listened to mobile music Sent photo or video over network Accessed news and information
France 3.4% 12.0% 15.1% 20.3% 18.7% 45.7% 39.1%
Germany 5.8% 15.5% 7.7% 18.9% 19.9% 33.7% 22.3%
United Kingdom 6.6% 23.0% 9.1% 20.9% 24.8% 47.3% 39.7%
United States 2.0% 22.3% 8.8% 50.8% 16.1% 22.8% 54.6%
Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2006. Survey of mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 31 May, 2006, n= 12,631 French, n=15,122 German, n=14,913 UK, n=33,952 U.S. mobile subscribers.
Compared to the average mobile phone subscribers, smart-phone owners are avid users of mobile multimedia. In France and Germany, nearly half of smart-phone owners sent video or a photo over the network, compared with a market average of (18.6) percent in France, and (19.5) percent in Germany. Nearly a quarter of UK smart-phone owners reported listening to music on their handset, versus the average of 5.8 percent.
The parallels are similar across the geographies. French smart-phone owners are a staggering 11 times more likely to listen to music on their handset compared with the market average of 1.7 percent, while their American counterparts are more than eight times more likely to do so. Video has been particularly popular among French smart-phone owners, at 15.1 percent, versus a countrywide average of 1.8 percent. There is also a relatively high conversion rate to video among U.S. smart-phone owners, who are more than six times more likely to watch video than a random subscriber, as the U.S. average for video consumption is 1.3 percent.
"Whereas mass-market Symbian devices have flooded the European market, the smart-phones in the hands of most U.S. consumers are high-end devices produced by Palm and RIM that are targeted to appeal to mobile professionals concerned with personal productivity," said Seamus McAteer, senior analyst and chief product architect, M:Metrics. "The Motorola Q, which is being marketed heavily as a stylish device that's fun as well as productive, and is being offered at consumer-friendly price points, could help broaden the market for smart-phones and spur content consumption."
At two percent penetration, the U.S. lags Western Europe in Smart-phone ownership. Britain tops France and Germany, at 6.6 percent market adoption. All the top three devices in France, Germany and the United Kingdom are Nokia devices. The Palm Treo is the smart device of choice for Americans, followed by the BlackBerry.
Table 2: Most Popular Smart-phones Used as Primary Handset
Top 3 Smart-phones - France Subscribers
Nokia 6680 374,477
Nokia 6630 287,723
Nokia 6600 98,122
Top 3 Smart-phones - Germany Subscribers
Nokia 6630 278,818
Nokia 6600 250,682
Nokia 7650 237,449
Top 3 Smart-phones - UK Subscribers
Nokia N70 471,874
Nokia 6680 433,405
Nokia 6630 341,718
Top 3 Smart-phones - US Subscribers
Palm Treo 650CDMA 573,660
Palm Treo 650GSM 269,053
RIM BlackBerry 7520 267,912
Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2006. Survey of mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 31 May, 2006, n= 12,631 French, n=15,122 German, n=14,913 UK, n=33,952 U.S. mobile subscribers.
"Without a doubt, Symbian devices compel their owners to use mobile content. Varying by networks in the UK, 45 to 70 percent of N-70 users report that they used their phone to download or browse for content," said Paul Goode, vice president and senior analyst, M:Metrics. "We're seeing impressive conversion rates across all forms of mobile content among users of these handsets, and see a direct correlation between device attributes (screen size, screen resolution and network speed) and propensity to consume content."
M:Metrics applies trusted media measurement methodologies to assess the audience for mobile content and applications. As the world's most authoritative mobile market measurement firm, M:Metrics delivers the most accurate mobile market metrics through the largest monthly survey of mobile subscribers in the U.S., U.K., Germany and France, as well as automated data collection methodologies. Below are the findings of its June Benchmark Survey.
French Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications
M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: May 2006
Activity Subscribers (000s) Percent % Change
Sent Text Message 29,355 69.1% 0.7%
Used Photo Messaging 7,919 18.6% 8.1%
Browsed News and Information 3,319 7.8% 7.6%
Purchased Ringtone 2,748 6.5% (-3.4%)
Used Personal E-Mail 2,548 6.0% 11.6%
Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver 1,313 3.1% (-0.6%)
Used Mobile Instant Messenger 1,241 2.9% 7.9%
Used Work E-Mail 857 2.0% 9.7%
Downloaded Mobile Game 500 1.2% 13.9%
Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2006. Survey of French mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 31 May, 2006, n= 12,631
German Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications
M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: May 2006
Activity Subscribers (000s) Percent % Change
Sent Text Message 35,606 80.0% 2.6%
Used Photo Messaging 8,696 19.5% 4.0%
Purchased Ringtone 3,007 6.8% (-0.2%)
Used Personal E-Mail 2,716 6.1% 0.4%
Browsed News and Information 1,763 4.0% (-3.5%)
Used Mobile Instant Messenger 1,547 3.5% (-0.9%)
Used Work E-Mail 1,399 3.1% 3.8%
Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver 1,289 2.9% 0.2%
Downloaded Mobile Game 1,079 2.4% 1.6%
Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2006. Survey of German mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 31 May, 2006, n= 15,122
U.K. Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications
M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: May 2006
Activity Subscribers (000s) Percent % Change
Sent Text Message 36,359 84.6% (-0.1%)
Used Photo Messaging 12,879 30.0% 1.6%
Browsed News and Information 6,376 14.8% (-1.1%)
Used Personal E-Mail 2,892 6.7% 0.0%
Purchased Ringtone 2,562 6.0% (-6.6%)
Downloaded Mobile Game 1,953 4.5% (-4.9%)
Used Mobile Instant Messenger 1,754 4.1% 1.4%
Used Work E-Mail 1,337 3.1% 3.9%
Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver 994 2.3% (-2.4%)
Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2006. Survey of U.K. mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 31 May, 2006, n= 14,913
U.S. Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications
M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: May 2006
Activity Subscribers (000s) Percent % Change
Sent Text Message 69,048 36.3% 5.9%
Used Photo Messaging 22,644 11.9% 8.0%
Browsed News and Information 19,038 10.0% 5.4%
Purchased Ringtone 18,830 9.9% 4.0%
Used Personal E-Mail 13,823 7.3% 7.2%
Used Mobile Instant Messenger 12,221 6.4% 4.6%
Used Work E-Mail 7,984 4.2% 8.4%
Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver 6,609 3.5% (-1.8%)
Downloaded Mobile Game 4,840 2.5% 8.5%
Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2006. Survey of U.S. mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 31 May, 2006, n= 33,952
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