Hispanics, Asians are Most-Likely Smartphone Owners in the U.S.

Nearly a third (31%) of all mobile consumers in the United States own smartphones, according to The Nielsen Co. But smartphone penetration is even higher among mobile users who are part of ethnic and racial minorities in the U.S. – namely Asian/Pacific Islanders (45%), Hispanics (45%) and African-Americans (33%), populations that also tend to skew younger. Meanwhile, only 27% of White mobile users reported owning a smartphone. Although only 42% of Whites who purchased a mobile phone in the past six months chose a smartphone over a feature phone, 60% of Asians/Pacific Islanders, 56% of Hispanics, and 44% of African Americans who recently bought cellphones chose smartphones.

Apple’s iOs is the favorite among U.S. smartphone owners who are Asians/Pacific Islanders. Thirty-six percent of Asian/Pacific Islander who own smartphones have iPhones. On the other hand, RIM Blackberry is preferred by 31% of African-American smartphone owners.

First Impressions Matter with Apps

Twenty-six percent of apps that were downloaded last year were only tried once, according to Localytics. For all new customers of an app in 2010, Localytics looked for the first time each customer used the app and whether or not there was any follow-on usage through January 26, 2011. For customers using an app for the first time between January and March, about 22% of them never open the app again. In the second and third quarters, the rate of one-time usage was flat at 26%. One-time usage grew to over 28% in the fourth quarter.