survey

Android, iOS growing 10 times faster than PCs did in the 1980s

The Android and iOS operating systems may be even more popular than you think.

Research firm Flurry Analytics today announced that iOS and Android adoption is ten times greater than PC adoption at that technology's rapid-growth phase in the 1980s. The mobile platforms have amassed users twice as quickly as the Web during its go-go period in the 1990s, and three times faster than recent social networks. The company is basing those figures on the first five years of widespread adoption across all of these technologies.

According to Flurry, 640 million iOS or Android-based devices were in use last … Read more

iPad still a destination for fun and games, study finds

Apple's iPad can do an awful lot. But most iPad owners would prefer to stick to Web surfing and entertainment, according to a new study.

Research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners today released the results of a study it conducted of more than 1,000 iPad buyers between December 2011 and April 2012. CIRP asked those recent buyers what they're most likely to do with their slate and found that 40 percent of respondents indicated they surf the Web on the iPad, leading all possible activities.

Watching video, looking at photos, or listening to music, lumped together as &… Read more

Something new to fear: Cell phone separation anxiety

Though it may sound like it, nomophobia isn't the fear of being without Cute Overload. It's the fear of being out of mobile phone contact.

A survey of 2,000 Americans commissioned by Lookout, a mobile security app maker, delves into the mindset of smartphone owners and shows just how obsessed we are with our phones.

The bathroom habits of mobile owners have already been revealed in all their icky glory, but Lookout's Mobile Mindset study has uncovered some interesting trends when it comes to staying connected during meals, while lying in bed, and even during services at houses of worship. … Read more

Twitter usage doubled since late 2010, Pew study finds

The fraction of "online" adults who use Twitter on a typical day has quadrupled over the past 18 months -- to 8 percent from 2 percent, according to a new Pew report on Internet use. Eight percent is roughly one user in twelve (a little less, actually.)

Pew defines an online adult as someone who uses the Internet and/or e-mail, at least occasionally. According to Pew, 80 percent of all U.S. adults go online.

Smartphones may have had something to do with increased Twitter usage, Pew suggests, "because smartphone users are particularly likely to be … Read more

Apple HDTV would lure about 1 in 2 iPhone owners, survey says

If you own an iPhone, you're pretty likely to buy Apple's much-rumored TV set, according to the results of a new study.

Market research firm Strategy Analytics today released findings from its 2012 ConsumerMetrix survey, which says "nearly half" of those who already own an iPhone would be "very or somewhat likely" to buy an Apple TV set.

The survey, which took place in March, was limited to the U.S. and Europe, and consisted of about 6,000 individuals, most of whom were located in Europe.

According to Jia Wu, a Director at … Read more

Pew: Smartphones narrow digital divide

Mobile devices are bringing more Americans online, but one in five adults is still not on the Internet, according to a Pew Internet survey published today.

The study, based on more than 2,000 phone calls in English and Spanish, shows that certain segments of the U.S. population are not inclined to go online. The top reasons given were lack of interest, no computer, expense, or the difficulty of getting online.

"Senior citizens, those who prefer to take our interviews in Spanish rather than English, adults with less than a high school education, and those living in households … Read more

People who love e-reading simply love reading

Things might be starting to look up for booksellers, authors, and publishers. A report released today by the Pew Research Center shows that one-fifth of U.S. adults have read an e-book in the last year and that e-reader owners not only prefer to buy rather than borrow books, but they also read more books.

"Those who have taken the plunge into reading e-books stand out in almost every way from other kinds of readers," the report's authors write. "Foremost, they are relatively avid readers of books in all formats: 88 percent of those who read … Read more

That didn't take long: Tim Cook rated top CEO

Apple CEO Tim Cook hasn't even been in his job for a year, but already he's the working world's highest-rated chief executive, according to a new report.

Careers site Glassdoor announced today that Cook received a 97 percent approval rating from employees over the past 12 months that ended March 15, beating out Ernst & Young CEO Jim Turley and Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs, who each scored a 95 percent approval rating. American Express CEO Ken Chenault and Google CEO Larry Page rounded out the top five with 94 percent approval ratings.

Surprisingly, Cook was able to beat out his predecessor and Apple co-founder Steve JobsRead more

Survey pegs Apple gear in half of U.S. homes

A new survey put out by CNBC says that half of homes in the U.S. own at least one Apple product, and that number is expected to grow through next year.

The outlet's "All-America Economic Survey" polled 836 Americans by phone from March 19 to 22 about their spending habits, political leanings, and investment practices.

From those surveyed, CNBC estimates the average U.S. household to have 1.6 devices made by Apple. One in 10 of those that don't have any Apple gear plan to get one inside the next 12 months, CNBC said. … Read more

Study: Siri is just all right with most iPhone users

According to a new study, most people who have access to Apple's Siri voice assistant think she's just fine -- they just don't want her around all that much.

As part of its quarterly "Market Focus" report, Parks Associates today said that in a polling of 482 iPhone 4S owners in the U.S., more than 50 percent of respondents said they were "very satisfied" with Siri. About a fifth of the group said that they were simply "satisfied," and some 9 percent said they were "unsatisfied."

According to … Read more