Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
-
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Advertising creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
-
- The market
- Smartphones drive a sales leap
-
- Figure 1: Fan chart forecast of U.S. mobile phone wholesale sales revenues, 2006-16
- Feature phones continue their decline
-
- Figure 2: U.S. mobile phone segmentation: smartphones vs. feature phones, at current prices, 2006-16
- Consumer costs may rise
- Platform battles continue
-
- Figure 3: Service carrier for smartphones and most recently acquired phone, October-November 2011
- Hardware vendors continue to consolidate
- Marketing messages can be complex
- The consumer
- Age, income drive smartphone ownership
-
- Figure 4: Smartphone vs. feature phone ownership by age, October-November 2011
- Price, battery life drive choice
- Significant usage differences seen for smartphones
- Users love Apple, but own Samsung
- Apps appeal to the young
- What we think
Insights and Opportunities
-
- Breaking the two-year cycle
- Phones and tablets: Better together
Inspire Insights
-
- Inspire Trend: Minimize Me
- Inspire Trend: Why Buy?
Market Size and Forecast
-
- Key points
- Smartphones go mainstream—and drive sales
- Still some room for average prices to climb
- Sales and forecast
-
- Figure 5: Total U.S. manufacturer to dealer sales and forecast for mobile phones, at current prices, 2006-16
- Figure 6: Total U.S. sales and forecast for mobile phone services, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2004-14
- Figure 7: Total U.S. unit sales and average unit pricing for mobile phones, 2006-12
Market Drivers
-
- Key points
- Mobile phones now do it all
-
- Figure 8: Additional mobile phone services or features used in the last 30 days, by all cellular/mobile phone users, 2007-11
-
- Figure 9: Mobile phone features used in the last 30 days by smartphone users, October-November 2011
- Carriers seek to pass on costs
-
- Figure 10: Mobile phone carrier subscribed, 2007-11
- Phone platforms continue to battle
-
- Figure 11: Smartphone operating system market share for all users and recent acquirers, Q4 2011
Competitive Context
-
- Key points
- Tablets: Competitors or cousins?
Segment Performance
-
- Key points
- Smartphones take over
-
- Figure 12: U.S. mobile phone sales at current prices, by segment, 2010 and 2012
-
- Figure 13: U.S. mobile phone unit sales, by segment, 2010 and 2012
Segment Performance—Smartphones
-
- Key points
- Smartphones take the lead
- Low prices help drive adoption, volume
- Pushing price limits on the higher end
- Sales and forecast
-
- Figure 14: U.S. sales of smartphones, at current prices, 2006-16
- Figure 15: U.S. unit sales and average prices of smartphones, at current prices, 2006-12
Segment Performance—Feature Phones
-
- Key points
- Sales continue to decline for basic phones
- Prices to reach a plateau
- Sales and forecast
-
- Figure 16: U.S. sales of feature phones, at current prices, 2006-16
- Figure 17: U.S. unit sales and average prices of feature phones, at current prices, 2006-12
Retail Channels
-
- Key points
- Many choices for phone purchase
-
- Figure 18: Number of U.S. stores run by mobile phone service providers, 2011
- Support needs to be seamless
Leading Companies
-
- Key points
- Overview
-
- Figure 19: Global mobile phone sales, by manufacturer, 2010-11
- Figure 20: U.S. mobile phone brand market share, by manufacturer, 2010-11
Innovation and Innovators
-
- Aiming for the clouds
- Powering up
- New phones for photo buffs
Marketing Strategies
-
- Key points
- Overview
- Television
- Apple: Look who’s talking now
-
- Figure 21: Apple iPhone TV ad, talking with Siri, 2011
- AT&T promotes Samsung’s speed
-
- Figure 22: AT&T/Samsung TV ad, coworkers ahead of the curve, 2011
- BlackBerry aims for cool
-
- Figure 23: RIM TV ad, DJ relies on BlackBerry bold, 2011
- Verizon pushes Motorola along with Droid
-
- Figure 24: Verizon Droid ad, 2011
- Online advertising
Ownership and Spending
-
- Key points
- Cell phone ownership is near universal
-
- Figure 25: Adult cell/wireless phones ownership, 2005-11
-
- Figure 26: Cell/wireless phones, by key demographics, October 2010-June 2011
- Smartphone ownership most strongly correlates with income
-
- Figure 27: Cell phone ownership, feature phone vs. smartphone, by key demographics, October-November 2011
- Average spend on mobile phones increases
-
- Figure 28: Amount spent on most recent cell/wireless phone purchase, 2008 and 2011
-
- Figure 29: Amount spent on most recent cell/wireless phone purchase, by key demographics, October 2010-June 2011
Purchase Drivers
-
- Key points
- Price, battery life dominant concerns in phone choice
-
- Figure 30: Incidence of brand and select functions considered “very important” in mobile phone purchase, by gender, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 31: Incidence of brand and select functions considered “very important” in mobile phone purchase, by age, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 32: Incidence of brand and select functions considered “very important” in mobile phone purchase, by household income, October-November 2011
- Phone size more important to women and low-income respondents
-
- Figure 33: Incidence of screen and design factors considered “very important” in mobile phone purchase, by gender, October-November 2011
- Figure 34: Incidence of screen and design factors considered “very important” in mobile phone purchase, by age, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 35: Incidence of screen and design factors considered “very important” in mobile phone purchase, by household income, October-November 2011
- Internet access highly valued by the young
-
- Figure 36: Incidence of network and GPS factors considered “very important” in mobile phone purchase, by gender, October-November 2011
- Figure 37: Incidence of network and GPS factors considered “very important” in mobile phone purchase, by age, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 38: Incidence of network and GPS factors considered “very important” in mobile phone purchase, by household income, October-November 2011
- Younger respondents most likely to replace phones often
-
- Figure 39: Attitudes to mobile phone cost, screen size and replacement cycle, by age, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 40: Attitudes to mobile phone cost, screen size and replacement cycle, by household income, October-November 2011
Phone Usage
-
- Key points
- Few younger people rely on phones for basic calling only
-
- Figure 41: Incidence of simple phone use, basic calling only and emergency use only, by key demographics, October 2010-June 2011
- Texting, photos most popular phone uses
-
- Figure 42: Additional mobile phone services or features used in the last 30 days by all cellular/mobile phone users, by age, October 2010-June 2011
-
- Figure 43: Additional mobile phone services or features used in the last 30 days by all cellular/mobile phone users, by household income, October 2010-June 2011
- Smartphone users do even more with phones
-
- Figure 44: Mobile phone features used in the last 30 days by smartphone users, by age, October-November 2011
- Figure 45: Mobile phone features used in the last 30 days by smartphone users, by household income, October-November 2011
Phone Operating System Preferences
-
- Key points
- Android prevails, but affluent more likely to choose iPhone than most
-
- Figure 46: OS currently on primary cell phone, by gender, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 47: OS currently on primary cell phone, by age, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 48: OS currently on primary cell phone, by household income, October-November 2011
- iOS, Android seemingly equal on ease of use
-
- Figure 49: OS perceived as easiest to use, by age, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 50: OS perceived as easiest to use, by household income, October-November 2011
Brand Preference
-
- Key points
- Samsung captures a large and diverse audience
-
- Figure 51: Mobile phone brand owned, by age, October 2010-June 2011
-
- Figure 52: Mobile phone brand owned, by household income, October 2010-June 2011
- Apple leads in positive perception, Samsung in ownership
-
- Figure 53: Which mobile phone brand is preferred and which is considered to be most cutting edge, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 54: Which mobile phone brand is preferred, by age, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 55: Which mobile phone brand is preferred, by household income, October-November 2011
- Apple, HTC considered most cutting edge
-
- Figure 56: Mobile phone brand perceived as most cutting edge, by age, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 57: Mobile phone brand perceived as most cutting edge, by household income, October-November 2011
Attitudes and Motivations
-
- Key points
- Consumers interested in doing more with phones
-
- Figure 58: Attitudes and opinions about cell phones, by age, October 2010-June 2011
-
- Figure 59: Attitudes and opinions about cell phones, by household income, October 2010-June 2011
- Interest in phones as gifts for children varies with age group
-
- Figure 60: Attitudes to cell phones as a gift for children, by gender of parent, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 61: Attitudes to cell phones as a gift for children, by age of parent, October-November 2011
- Loyalty to phone platforms is not intense
-
- Figure 62: Attitudes to mobile phone OS, by gender, October-November 2011
- Figure 63: Attitudes to mobile phone OS, by age, October-November 2011
Advanced Phone Usage
-
- Key points
- Interest in apps peaks with the young
-
- Figure 64: Application downloading, by key demographics, October-November 2011
- Comparatively few users pay for downloads
-
- Figure 65: Lack of participation in paid application downloading, by key demographics, October-November 2011
- 3-D phone capabilities still not in the mainstream
-
- Figure 66: Interest in 3-D cell phones, by age, October-November 2011
- Figure 67: Interest in 3-D cell phones, by household income, October-November 2011
Teens and Kids
-
- Key points
- Teen phone ownership continues to rise
-
- Figure 68: Teen cell/wireless phones ownership, 2006-11
- Figure 69: Teen cell/wireless phones ownership, by gender and age, April 2010-June 2011
-
- Figure 70: Teen cell/wireless phone brands owned, by gender and age, April 2010-June 2011
- Texting, photos important applications for teens
-
- Figure 71: Additional mobile phone services or features used by teens in the last 30 days, by gender and age, April 2010-June 2011
-
- Figure 72: Teen attitudes and opinions about cell phones, by gender and age, April 2010-June 2011
- Opportunity remains to grow phone usage for children
-
- Figure 73: Kids cell/wireless phones ownership, 2008-11
-
- Figure 74: Kids cell/wireless phones ownership, by gender and age, April 2010-June 2011
- Figure 75: Mobile phone features used by kids, by gender and age, April 2010-June 2011
Impact of Race/Hispanic Origin
-
- Key points
- Asians, Hispanics strong adopters of mobile technologies
-
- Figure 76: Cell phone ownership, feature phone vs. smartphone, by race/Hispanic origin, October-November 2011
- Figure 77: Amount spent on most recent cell/wireless phone purchase, by race/Hispanic origin, October 2010-June 2011
-
- Figure 78: Mobile phone brand owned, by race/Hispanic origin, October 2010-June 2011
- Blacks, Hispanics value smartphone entertainment features
-
- Figure 79: Additional mobile phone services or features used in the last 30 days by all cellular/mobile phone users, by race/Hispanic origin, October 2010-June 2011
- Figure 80: Mobile phone features used in the last 30 days by smartphone users, by race/Hispanic origin, October-November 2011
Custom Consumer Groups
-
- Interest in advanced phone features rises with education
-
- Figure 81: Attitudes and opinions about cell phones, all vs. college graduates, October 2010-June 2011
- AT&T leads in iOS owners, Verizon in Android
-
- Figure 82: OS currently on primary smartphone by service carrier for primary cell phone, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 83: App downloading, by service carrier for primary cell phone, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 84: App downloading by service carrier for primary cell phone, October-November 2011
Appendix: Other Useful Consumer Tables
-
- By gender
-
- Figure 85: Which mobile phone brand is preferred, by gender, October-November 2011
-
- Figure 86: Mobile phone brand perceived as most cutting edge, by gender, October-November 2011
- By household income
-
- Figure 87: Attitudes to mobile phone OS, by household income, October-November 2011
Appendix: Trade Associations
Back to top