iGR Research Finds That 71 Percent of Mobile Device Sales in May Were Smartphones

AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwire - May 23, 2012) - In 2012, it is hard to imagine life without a smartphone which provide constant connectivity to email, music, social networks, and much more, from just about any location. As such, U.S. consumers are increasingly interested in smartphones and have, or plan to, purchase such devices. In order to understand more about current smartphone buying trends, iGR conducted a major survey of consumers in May 2012.

Consumers indicated that approximately 28 percent of the mobile handsets they purchased recently were basic mobile phones and 71 percent were smartphones. Close to 69 percent of the handsets they plan to buy in the future are likely to be smartphones.

The majority of consumers who recently purchased a handset (of any type) reported a mean overall handset purchase price of approximately $114.23 (weighted). Similarly, the majority of consumers who plan to buy any type of handset in the near future plan to spend on average approximately $127.25 (weighted).

When iGR examined the price the respondents were willing to pay for a smartphone, the survey showed that consumers were on average willing to pay $135.90 for an Apple iPhone compared to $124.65 for an Android device. Thus, despite the range of Android smartphones available across all price points, Apple is able to command an average of $11 higher price per device.

"Smartphones have become the new norm," said Iain Gillott, president and founder of iGR, a market research consultancy focused on the wireless & mobile industry. "60 percent of the survey respondents iGR interviewed reported using a smartphone." And while smartphone users do tend to be younger (below 45), that demographic is shifting as smartphones become more common and more appealing to older consumers. Indeed, the purchasing demographic must shift in the next few years in order for smartphone adoption to increase.

iGR's new market research report, U.S. Consumer Smartphone Profile: Current Use and Future Purchase Plans, looks at consumer trends in the U.S. regarding smartphones, and addresses the following questions:

• What mobile handset and smartphone trends exist across current U.S. consumers?
  
  
• What types and brands of handsets and smartphones are U.S. consumers currently using?
  
  
• What mobile operating systems (OSes) are U.S. consumers using?
  
  
• What types of handsets and smartphones did U.S. consumers buy recently? What types of handsets will they buy in the near future?
  
  
• How did recent basic mobile phone sales compare to smartphone sales by U.S. consumers? How will such sales compare in the near future?
  
  
• What handset brands and mobile operating systems (OSes) did U.S. consumers buy recently? What will users buy in the near future?
  
  
• Did U.S. consumers recently purchase handsets and smartphones for work use? Will they buy work-related handsets and smartphones in the coming months?
  
  
• What was the average price U.S. users recently paid for a basic mobile phone or smartphone? What are U.S. users willing to pay for a new handset in the coming months?
  
  

The new report can be purchased and downloaded directly from iGR's website, providing immediate access to a digital copy of the research. Alternatively, contact Iain Gillott at (512) 263-5682 or at iain@igr-inc.com for additional details on this report as well as information on the Wireless and Mobile Landscape advisory service.

About iGR

iGR is a market strategy consultancy focused on the wireless and mobile communications industry. Founded by Iain Gillott, one of the wireless industry's leading analysts, in late 2000 as iGillottResearch, iGR is now entering its twelfth year of operation. iGR continuously researches emerging and existent technologies, technology industries, and consumer markets. We use our detailed research to offer a range of services to help companies improve their position in the marketplace, clearly define their future direction, and ultimately improve their bottom line.

iGR researches a range of wireless and mobile products and technologies, including: smartphones; tablets; mobile applications; bandwidth demand and use; small cell architectures; DAS; LTE; WiMAX; VoLTE; IMS; NFC; GSM/GPRS/UMTS/HSPA; CDMA 1x/EV-DO; iDEN; SIP; macro-, pico- and femtocells; mobile backhaul; WiFi and WiFi offload; and SIM and UICC.

A more complete profile of the company can be found at www.igr-inc.com.