Android demographics

[MonmouthDroid]

I am having a hard time understanding how the iPhone still has higher total market share than android. I know 2 people with iPhones. There are long running poles on two seperate forums I am a member on and android is winning in both. On an Aquarium forum I am a member of, I don't have exact numbers, but only 2 or 3 people responded iPhone compared to 8 or so Android (a lot of dumb phone users on that site, a few winmo, and a decent BB showing). On a Car forum I am a member of the votes stand at 193 Android, 183 iPhone, 81 Blackberry, 6 iPad. In my department at work there are 11 employees, 4 Android users, 2 feature phone users (both on AT&T), 4 dumb phone users, and 1 person with no phone, and 0 iPhones.

Where exactly are all these people who own the iPhone. In my life, in three separate samplings of three completely different groups, the iPhone has a lower showing than Android. Am I just the totally stereotypical Android demographic so everyone around me also falls in the demographic? Who owns iPhones? I am lower to mid income, work in a high school kitchen, and interested in Cars, Fish, and Tech. Am I the anti-iPhone?

 

[johnlgalt]

You're assuming that all of the samplings you've encountered / conducted are, in fact, representative of the general population....

 

[SoFLO]

I know lots of people with iPhones.

 

[android91]

Almost everyone I know has an Iphone...

 

[RichieHD]

Me=Vibrant
Bro=Hero
Girlfriend=Defy
Best Friend=Cliq
Best Friend's Brother=Cliq
Other Friend=X10

I've only known 2 iphones. My old manager and asst manager. That's it. All of the people in my circle are droiders.

 

[Bnice]

While many tend to notice the iphone more,many android phones are out and about. When i'm at school or the gym i notice a lot of android phones.

 

[Frisco]

I see an awful lot of phones with slide out keyboards, mostly Androids but still a few Palm Pres here and there.

iPhones around my friends and co-workers are about 10% it appears.

- Androids: 50%

- Blackberries: 30%

- iPhones: 10%

- Others (Palms and various dumb phones): 10%

 

[takeshi]

I am having a hard time understanding how the iPhone still has higher total market share than android. I know 2 people with iPhones. There are long running poles on two seperate forums I am a member on and android is winning in both.

Try reading up a bit on statistics (there's a reason why people can major in this). Your personal experiences and the polls you're citing clearly aren't accurate samples of the broader market. There are some measures that can be taken to improve the polling process but even so it's difficult for polling or, worse yet, voting, to provide meaningful data especially if the system cannot filter out multiple votes from overenthusiastic fanboys, etc. The number of people that you know will never be a large enough sample to be statistically significant.

 

[reinbeau]

I see many (mainly women, I'm a Pilates instructor) iPhones. I've seen one Palm Pre, and one friend of mine intriguingly enough has a Droid, I would never have guessed she'd get one, I thought she'd end up with an iPhone. She's no techie, so it's an interesting choice.

Outside of my Pilates circle I mainly see 'texting' type phones, and iPhones. The one exception would be young guys - most of them have Androids of some fashion. Be observant of all phones, beware of making assessments, many eyes here are going to see Androids wherever they go, because, after all, we love those Android phones! You see what you want to see.

 

[Stuntman]

If you are referring to the polls you observed and your own personal experiences, then it is quite likely that the demographics of the people who respond to polls and the people you encounter are not a true random sample of the general public. I personally find that there are people I either know or seen who have iPhones.

I'm actually not surprised that the iPhone has a very large market share. First of all, it was pretty much the first smartphone that I have ever heard of. Their marketting is very good and I was pretty much amazed at its capabilities. Perhaps there were other smartphones around that had similar capabilities, but they have not had a great a marketting campaign. Being first to have a deep market penetration helps. In fact, when I first decided to purchase a smartphone (early this year), I didn't realise that there is quite a selection of smartphones. I had to specifically ask the salesperson what other phones were available. He had first suggested an iPhone. Probably most people would just be happy with the first suggested option.

Android phones are rapidly gaining market share. I think the latest projections indicate Android phones as a whole will surpass iPhones very soon if not already.