US smartphone users love Apple. According to the latest data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, the iPhone accounts for 40% of all smartphones in use in the country, while smartphone penetration has reached 62%. An interesting addition to that data is that 58% of smartphone users also opted for a tablet, while this number jumps to 65% among iPhone owners.
After analyzing customer loyalty to the ecosystem, the market research firm has found that 69% of iPhone owners who own a tablet also have an iPad. Now, it is interesting to see the breakdown of iPads in use in the US. According to Kantar, the iPad 2 is still the most widely used tablet in the country, accounting for 28% of all iPads currently in use, while the iPad Air 2, the latest-generation device, accounts for only 4%. To continue the breakdown by model: iPad 3 16%; iPad Mini 14%; iPad Air 12%; iPad 4 with Retina display 8%, while the first-generation iPad accounts for 12% of the installed base.
You may recall that Apple has been reporting “low” iPad sales (by “low” I mean compared to its earlier sales numbers, as the iPad is still the best-selling tablet worldwide). Industry observers say it’s because the replacement cycle, which is becoming similar to that of the PC, considering that current owners have their iPads for more than 36 months.
In terms of user engagement, Kantar has found that 39% of iPad users use email daily, which compares to only 21% for the Kindle Fire’s. Daily use of social networking currently stands at 30% on the iPad versus 24% for Galaxy Tab users, and Web browsing at 31% (iPad) versus 24% (Galaxy Tab) and 18% (Kindle Fire).
