Nielsen: Smartphones Now 64% in US Market

The first wave of iPhone 5S reviews have come out and they’re essentially raves, exemplified by Walt Mossberg’s superlative laden missive: “[T]he new iPhone 5s is a delight. Its hardware and software make it the best smartphone on the market.” While there is some question about the early success of iPhone 5C pre-orders, the 5S is almost a sure sellout when it’s released this weekend. According to a survey by , the 5S is the most desired “next smartphone” available in the US market, while the 5C is in fourth place (after Galaxy and other Android devices). However according to new data from Nielsen, 61% of recent smartphone buyers chose Android devices vs. 34% who bought iPhones. We’ll see how those numbers are impacted, if at all, by the launch of the 5S. Overall Nielsen says that in the US 64% of mobile subscribers are now owners of smartphones. Those in the 25 – 34 age group have the highest smartphone penetration at 81%, with teens 13 -17 closing in at 70%. Feature phones are now concentrated among those over 55 years of age. Below is the current smartphone OS market-share distribution according to Nielsen: