Smartphone Penetration Grows To 76 Percent In US — Report

The latest comScore smartphone data have arrived but not much has changed. The two noteworthy items in this month’s report are an increase in smartphone ownership and Pinterest’s entry into the top 15 apps list.

The company says that the US smartphone market now comprises 75.8 percent of the total mobile subscriber population. In December it was 74.9 percent. Operating system market share data are nearly identical to three months ago.

In the latest dataset from comScore, Android gained a nearly point while the iPhone has slipped. Compare data from Kantar Worldpanel, which shows a slightly different operating system share distribution:

• Android — 51.9 percent
• iOS — 42.8 percent
• Windows — 4.3 percent
• BlackBerry — 0.2 percent
• Other –0.8 percent

Earlier this week IT-consulting firm Gartner produced its estimate of Q4 and full year smartphone sales on a global basis. In a year that saw more than a billion smartphones sold, Samsung was the global sales leader followed by Apple. However Apple captured nearly 90 percent of global smartphone profit.

To throw in another comparison, below is StatCounter data showing traffic share in the US by smartphone operating system.

Finally, comScore’s list of top apps is almost identical to last month — except that Pinterest has entered the top 15, replacing Yahoo Stocks.

The above list documents app reach (presence on smartphones). It does not indicate usage frequency or engagement. According to comScore, in January Pandora passed Facebook for greatest average monthly minutes of usage.

About The Author

Greg Sterling

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and real-world consumer behavior. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.