In August 2011, these devices drove 4.6% of total digital traffic in the EU5, fuelled primarily by the use of smartphones.
"While we have seen the increasing adoption of smartphones in the EU5 contribute to the rapid growth of mobile media consumption, we are also beginning to see tablets and other connected devices play an increasing role," said Jeremy Copp, comScore vice president for Mobile in Europe. "With more options available for consuming digital media on the go than ever before, many users now access online content from multiple platforms throughout the day. This media fragmentation has made it more important than ever for advertisers and publishers to take a holistic view of audience measurement to effectively reach their audiences."
In the three-month average period ending in August 2011, 91.4 million mobile subscribers across the EU5 reported using smartphones, up 46% from last year. Although Symbian continues to have the largest share of the smartphone market, its audience among all mobile and connected devices in current use was recently surpassed by the Apple iOS audience. The iOS platform (including iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches) currently accounts for 30.5% of all mobile and connected devices in use in the EU5 (excluding feature phones and e-readers), driven by the popularity of the iPad and iPod Touch. Symbian ranks second, accounting for 28.7% of all devices in use, followed by the Google Android platform at 23.5%.
| OS Market Share by Audience Installed Base 3-Month Average Ending August 2011 Total EU5 (DE, FR, IT, ES and UK) Mobile Subscribers, Age 13+ (Source: comScore MobiLens) | |
|---|---|
| Device Platforms | Share (%) of Devices in Use |
| Apple iOS | 30.5% |
| Symbian | 28.7% |
| Google Android | 23.5% |
| RIM | 8.1% |
| Microsoft | 5.5% |
| Other Platforms | 3.7% |
A closer look at the composition of devices in use for each platform reveals interesting differences. Symbian's share of the market is driven exclusively by Symbian smartphones, whereas nearly half of the iOS share is driven by iPads and iPod Touches in use. Meanwhile, tablets account for only 16% of the Android platform share.
An analysis of platform market share, as determined by internet traffic coming from browser-based page views, shows the iOS platform driving more than 60% of all connected device traffic to lead other platforms significantly. Despite comprising less than a quarter of iOS devices in use, iPads fuelled this strong position accounting for 43% of all iOS traffic.
Following iOS, Android ranked second in delivering non-computer traffic with a 20.9% share. RIM accounted for 8.5%, while Symbian accounted for just 2.7%, indicating that Symbian smartphone users were less likely on average to consume digital media on their mobile devices.
| OS Market Share by Non-Computer Digital Traffic (Browser-Based Page Views) August 2011 Total EU5 (DE, FR, IT, ES and UK) (Source: comScore Device Essentials) | |
|---|---|
| Device Platforms | Share (%) of Non-Computer Traffic |
| Apple iOS | 61.1% |
| Google Android | 20.9% |
| RIM | 8.5% |
| Symbian | 2.7% |
| Other Platforms | 6.9% |
The table below shows comScore's August 2011 mobile benchmark data, including a review of mobile consumption behaviours and device penetration for the five EU countries under measurement. These benchmarks are published by comScore to provide the most up-to-date snapshot of the mobile industry. Further information on these benchmarks, and other data included above, can be provided upon request.
| Mobile Benchmark Data for the EU5 Market 3-Month Avg. Ending August 2011 Total EU5 (DE, FR, IT, ES and UK), Age 13+ (Source: comScore MobiLens) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach (%) of Mobile Subscribers | ||||||
| EU5 | UK | France | Germany | Italy | Spain | |
| Sent Text Message | 82.4% | 90.5% | 83.3% | 79.1% | 79.4% | 79.3% |
| Used Application (excl. pre-installed) | 33.5% | 43.7% | 30.9% | 29.8% | 29.8% | 33.6% |
| Used Browser | 34.0% | 45.9% | 34.6% | 27.8% | 29.4% | 33.0% |
| Listened to Music | 25.8% | 25.4% | 23.8% | 25.8% | 23.6% | 32.1% |
| Accessed Social Networking Site or Blog | 22.6% | 34.3% | 21.1% | 16.8% | 20.0% | 21.6% |
| Accessed News | 17.8% | 25.4% | 16.6% | 15.1% | 16.4% | 14.9% |
| Played Games | 26.3% | 33.3% | 15.9% | 25.2% | 30.0% | 27.6% |
| Used Smartphone | 38.9% | 45.6% | 35.3% | 32.2% | 39.5% | 44.5% |
In conjunction with these findings, comScore recently released the report Digital Omnivores: How Tablets, Smartphones and Connected Devices are Changing US Digital Media Consumption Habits. The report analyses how cross-platform consumption has created a vastly different landscape in the US as consumers utilise a growing number of devices to consume digital content. The report also analyses the impact these shifting consumption habits have on online visitation and engagement across the Internet. To download a complimentary copy of the report, Digital Omnivores go to http://www.comScore.com/DigitalOmnivores.
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