It has been 5 years today since the first iPhone appeared. Although not the first smartphone, the iPhone undeniably launched the smartphone market as we know it today, and it’s been an astounding 5 years, to say the least. So, what’s going on now? Pew’s Kathryn Zickuhr has pulled together some recent data (slides 25-31 below) that provides food for thought.
Some of the more interesting stuff:
- Smartphone ownership is just slightly higher for minority adults than white adults.
- These devices are also more likely to be minority adults’ main source of Internet access. Same goes for all youth.
- Interestingly, the data presented suggests that smartphone ownership amongst teens is only about one third that of young adults. However, the data on teens is one year older than the other data. Given how quickly technology is changing today and prices going down, I wonder what that looks like today?
What could all of this mean?
- Smartphones seem to be narrowing some of the digital divides that have been prevailent in the US. Do smartphone users use the Internet differently than broadband and dial-up users? If so, is our thinking about what an “Internet user” is reflecting the reality?
- Young adults seem to not see a need for traditional broadband Internet access, making do with their smartphone access. How relevant is it to teach technology to tomorrow’s young adults by seating them in front of a desktop or laptop computer?
- The smartphone digital divide is age-based. Why are older people skipping smartphones? What kind of services are/will they miss out on? Is their late adoption hindering development?
Digital differences
View more presentations from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project
