comScore has released the results of a US study of iPad owners, based on data from its MobiLens service. The report includes comScore’s first publicly available data showing demographics and other characteristics of users of connected media devices, such as the iPad and iPod Touch.
Initial research indicates that Apple’s iOS platform has a combined reach of 37.9m among all mobile phones, tablets and other such connected media devices, outreaching the Android platform (23.8m), which includes Android phones and connected media devices such as the Samsung Galaxy, by 59 per cent.
The installed base of iPhones slightly exceeded that of iPod Touches, both of which were approximately twice as high as the number of iPads. Interestingly, among the 37.9m consumers with access to the Apple iOS, only 4m (10.5 per cent) accessed the platform via more than one device.
“comScore is excited to announce the availability of connected device data as part of the comScore MobiLens service,” says Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president of mobile. “This new data set enables us to not only understand the comprehensive ecosystem of mobile and connected media device users, but it also allows us insight into their detailed demographic and behavioral attributes. 
“These data clearly illustrate the Apple ecosystem extends far beyond the iPhone. Though it’s frequently assumed that the Apple user base is composed of dedicated Apple ‘fanboys’, there’s not a tremendous amount of overlapping mobile device access among these users. This of course has significant implications for the developer community, as they consider the market potential in developing applications for different mobile platforms.”
The research also suggests that iPad ownership extends well beyond Apple’s most fervent consumers. Although a perception may exist that iPad owners tend to be those with a very strong affinity for Apple products, an analysis of the mobile devices of iPad owners indicates that may not be the case. While Apple is indeed the most heavily represented OEM among iPad owners, its OEM share (27.3 per cent) is only slightly higher than its share among all smartphone subscribers (25.2 per cent). RIM accounts for the second highest percentage of iPad owners at 17.5 per cent, but this number is well below its overall smartphone market share of 28.9 per cent. Meanwhile, Samsung, LG and Nokia are all significantly over-represented among iPad owners compared to their respective shares of the smartphone market. In addition, 14.2 per cent of iPad users had Android phones.
The age profile of iPad users indicated the heaviest skew toward 25 – 34 year olds (27 per cent) in relation to the total mobile audience (17.6 per cent). iPads also exhibited significantly above average skews in the 18 – 24 year old and 35 – 44 year old segments. However, this demographic profile was similar to that of the overall smartphone user base, indicating that the advanced mobile capabilities, rather than the device itself, might be the primary driver behind this age profile.
