According to an update of The NPD Group’s “Entertainment Trends in America” consumer surveys, three quarters of iPhone and iPod touch users are connecting to the web to download entertainment content and apps, leading all other entertainment device categories. 19 percent of game console users and 17 percent of Blu-ray set-top product users reported downloading content and or apps; overall, 16 percent of Americans age 13 or older are using devices other than their home computers to download apps, music, video, and other content. Among iPhone and iPod touch users, free apps were the most popular download category, followed by games and music downloads.
“It’s not surprising that Apple users are ahead of others when it comes to downloading Web-based content, given the breadth of the company’s app catalog and the head start iTunes had selling music for the iPod,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD. “Like other groups of early adopters, consumers downloading entertainment content are mostly younger and male; however, as app stores expand beyond Apple, as connected devices become more commonplace, and as connectivity is simplified we expect to see more activity on other devices and platforms.”