Press Releases

Smartphone Owners Choose Network Speed over Reliability When Considering a Carrier Switch, According to The NPD Group

PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, MARCH 21, 2013 –According to the new Connected Intelligence Carrier Smartphone Report, from global information company The NPD Group, network speed has grown significantly in importance from 25 percent of smartphone owners considering a switch in carriers in Q4 2011 to 41 percent in Q4 2012. Network reliability and better coverage also grew in importance among those consumers.

“With more data-hungry applications and content hitting smartphones, consumers need to make sure they have a network that’s fast enough to enhance their experience, no matter where they go,” said Brad Akyuz, director, access practice, NPD Connected Intelligence.  “Consumers are willing to break ties with a network that can’t support their data needs and are leaning towards carriers that can provide enhanced data networks.”

Verizon Wireless is the top choice among cellphone owners when it comes to network speed, followed by AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. T-Mobile, even though being ranked fourth, was the only other carrier besides Verizon to increase customer perception of its network data speeds.

“Overall, Verizon Wireless receives high marks from consumers for everything from pricing and reliability to speed and device selection, and that sentiment continues to grow,” said Akyuz.  “Verizon operates the largest 4G network in the U.S. and has put a lot of marketing dollars behind its 4G LTE, which appears to be paying off.  T-Mobile has also made strides in how consumers perceive their network speed. They were the only other carrier to gain ground.”

 

Methodology

The Smartphone Carrier Report data is sourced from the Access Adoption and Intent survey of 3,500 U.S. consumers from The NPD Group’s online panel.  The study was fielded in Q4 2012.

 

About Connected Intelligence

Connected Intelligence provides competitive intelligence and insight on the rapidly evolving consumer’s connected environment. The service focuses on the three core components of the connected market: the device, the broadband access that provides the connectivity and the content that drives consumer behavior. These three pillars of the connected ecosystem are analyzed through a comprehensive review of what is available, adopted, and consumed by the customer, as well as reviewing how the market will evolve over time and what the various vendors can do to best position themselves in this evolving market. For more information: http://www.connected-intelligence.com. Follow Connected Intelligence on Twitter: @npdci.

 

 

About The NPD Group, Inc.

The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions.  By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth.  Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food/foodservice, home, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless.  For more information, visit www.npd.com and npdgroupblog.com.  Follow us on Twitter:@npdtech and @npdgroup.

 

CONTACT:

Sarah Bogaty
+1 516 625 2357
sarah.bogaty@npd.com

Internet Connected Devices Surpass Half a Billion in U.S. Homes, According to The NPD Group

Growth fueled by the addition of over 26 million tablets and smartphones

 

PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, MARCH 18, 2013 – There are now more than half a billion devices in U.S. homes that are connected to the Internet and deliver apps, according to new findings from the Connected Intelligence Connected Home Report from global information company The NPD Group.  Increases in tablet and smartphone penetration drove the U.S. market to this milestone.

Overall, the number of connected devices per U.S. Internet household has grown to 5.7, up from 5.3 devices three months ago. In that time frame, the installed base of tablets increased by nearly 18 million and there are nearly 9 million more smartphones users.  Amongst this growth, Apple and Samsung remained the most prevalent smartphone brands consumers own, and Apple continues to dominate the tablet market.

“Even with this extraordinary growth in the smartphone and tablet market, PCs are still the most prevalent connected device in U.S. Internet households, and this is a fact that won’t be changing any time soon,” said John Buffone, director, devices, NPD Connected Intelligence.  “However, when you look at the combined number of smartphones and tablets consumers own, for the first time ever it exceeded the installed base of computers.” 

PC penetration among U.S. Internet connected households is nearly ubiquitous at 93 percent, but virtually unchanged over a three month period. Smartphones and tablets, however, increased their penetration.  Smartphone penetration rose from 52 percent to 57 percent of cell phone users while tablet penetration increased significantly from 35 to 53 percent of Internet households.

“It’s hard to believe that tablets and smartphones are still somewhat in their infancy,” said Buffone. “But as we have seen in just the past few months, there is significant potential for this market to develop further.”

How will the Samsung S 4 launch impact the market? Read John Buffone’s blog to get his take.

 

Methodology

More than 4,000 U.S. consumers, age 18 and older were surveyed in the first quarter of 2013. The number of installed and internet connected devices includes those that deliver broadband applications such as computers, tablets, smartphones, HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc Players, video game consoles, and streaming media set top boxes. 

 

About Connected Intelligence

Connected Intelligence provides competitive intelligence and insight on the rapidly evolving consumer’s connected environment. The service focuses on the three core components of the connected market: the device, the broadband access that provides the connectivity and the content that drives consumer behavior. These three pillars of the connected ecosystem are analyzed through a comprehensive review of what is available, adopted, and consumed by the customer, as well as reviewing how the market will evolve over time and what the various vendors can do to best position themselves in this evolving market. For more information: http://www.connected-intelligence.com. Follow Connected Intelligence on Twitter: @npdci.

 

 

About The NPD Group, Inc.

The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions.  By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth.  Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food/foodservice, home, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless.  For more information, visit www.npd.com and npdgroupblog.com.  Follow us on Twitter: @npdtech and @npdgroup.

 

CONTACT:

Sarah Bogaty

+1 516 625 2357

sarah.bogaty@npd.com

 

37% of PC Users Migrate Activities to Mobile Devices, According to The NPD Group

PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 6, 2013 – Content that was once primarily accessed by consumers on their PCs, is shifting to mobile devices. According to the Connected Intelligence Application and Convergence Report from global information company, The NPD Group, 37 percent of consumers who used to access content on their PCs switched to their tablets and smartphones.

The top two activities that consumers are shifting from their PCs to their tablets and smartphones are web browsing and Facebook.  Among tablet owners, 27 percent say they are using their PC less frequently for accessing the Internet and 20 percent say they are using their PC less frequently for accessing Facebook. Twenty-seven percent of smartphone owners have decreased both their Internet and Facebook usage on their PCs because they now use their smartphone for these activities.

Consumers are still using their computers for many of the core PC-centric activities, but the tablet and smartphone are gaining traction.  Internet browsing is still highest among PC owners at 75 percent, smartphones at 61 percent, and tablets at 53 percent.  Facebook interaction follows the same rank with PC owners at 63 percent, 55 percent for smartphone owners and 39 percent among tablet owners.

 

Top Activities Where Mobile Devices Mitigate Computer Usage

 

And, it’s not just mobile devices that are drawing attention from the computer; 21 percent of consumers that have a TV connected to the Internet are now switching from their computer to using their TV to watch video from streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Instant Video.

“Despite these shifts in behavior, computers will remain the fundamental content creation device in consumer’s tool box for many years to come,” said John Buffone, director of devices, Connected Intelligence.  “Consumers, however, are switching their entertainment-centric behaviors to tablets, smartphones, and connected TVs at warp speed.  During 2013 this trend will be further perpetuated as more mobile devices become enabled with screen sharing technologies such as AllShare and Miracast that allow users to bridge their mobile devices to their TV screens.”

To learn more about the Application and Convergence Report and our Connected Home Report, join us for a Webinar on February 20, 2013 at 2pm Eastern.

 

About Connected Intelligence

Connected Intelligence provides competitive intelligence and insight on the rapidly evolving consumer’s connected environment. The service focuses on the three core components of the connected market: the device, the broadband access that provides the connectivity and the content that drives consumer behavior. These three pillars of the connected ecosystem are analyzed through a comprehensive review of what is available, adopted, and consumed by the customer, as well as reviewing how the market will evolve over time and what the various vendors can do to best position themselves in this evolving market. For more information: http://www.connected-intelligence.com. Follow Connected Intelligence on Twitter: @npdci.

  

About The NPD Group, Inc.

The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions.  By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth.  Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food / foodservice, home, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless.  For more information, visit npd.com and npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdtech and @npdgroup.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Sarah Bogaty

+1 516 625 2357

sarah.bogaty@npd.com

 

More than 400 Million Devices are Connected in U.S. Homes, According to The NPD Group

PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, JANUARY 02, 2013 – There are 425 million devices connected to the Internet in U.S. homes, according to a new Connected Intelligence report from global information company, The NPD Group.  The Connected Home report found that while computers are still the primary connected device, numerous others are diminishing the computer’s relevance to the broadband content marketplace. This trend is being fueled by devices such as gaming consoles and Blu-ray Disc players adding to the number of Internet connected HDTVs, and the connectivity piped directly to the TV itself. Strong consumer retail sales in developing categories such as tablets and smartphones are also impacting the traditional computer’s share of Internet connected devices. 

By the end of 2013, a shift towards more screen-sharing across devices is expected.  Smaller screens such as the smartphone have the greatest reach now with an estimated 133 million users, with tablets contributing another 31.8 million screens. The development of the shared screen experience, by throwing content from a smaller screen to the TV, is converging device ecosystems and will allow for over-the-top content to become even more prominent on the TV. 

“Mobile is adding another dimension powered by screen sharing technologies that allows users to project their tablet or smartphone onto their TV,” said John Buffone, director, NPD’s Connected Intelligence.

“Through 2013, multi-screen and multi-device synergy will lead the growth in the broader connected device market, but only if services consumers desire are delivered in a simplistic manner.  In this connected world, content providers and consumer technology OEMs need to determine the optimal mix of services and have them on the right devices.”

 

Are consumers embracing the ability to access apps on their TVs? Read John’s blog to find out.

 

Methodology

More than 4,000 U.S. consumers, age 18 and older were surveyed in the fourth quarter of 2012. The number of installed and internet connected devices includes those that deliver broadband applications such as computers, tablets, smartphones, HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc Players, video game consoles, and streaming media set top boxes.  These devices must actually be connected to the Internet not just be Internet capable.  Networking devices and others such as routers, modems, mobile hot spots, and pay TV set top boxes were excluded from this analysis.   E-readers were also excluded due to the limited content array they offer.

 

About Connected Intelligence

Connected Intelligence provides competitive intelligence and insight on the rapidly evolving consumer’s connected environment. The service focuses on the three core components of the connected market: the device, the broadband access that provides the connectivity and the content that drives consumer behavior. These three pillars of the connected ecosystem are analyzed through a comprehensive review of what is available, adopted, and consumed by the customer, as well as reviewing how the market will evolve over time and what the various vendors can do to best position themselves in this evolving market. For more information: http://www.connected-intelligence.com. Follow Connected Intelligence on Twitter: @npdci.

 

About The NPD Group, Inc.

The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions.  By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth.  Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food / foodservice, home, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless.  For more information, visit npd.com and npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdtech and @npdgroup.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Sarah Bogaty

+1 516 625 2357

sarah.bogaty@npd.com

 

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