Apple device owners download more apps, media

iPhone and iPod touch owners are far more likely to download content than for just about any other electronics with the option, the NPD Group confirmed today. Exactly 75 percent of the Apple device users have download some kind of extra content where just 19 percent of game console owners and 17 percent of Blu-ray player owners do the same. The App Store and iTunes are both credited with creating the wide gap as their content and experience are much more welcoming.

The group's entertainment analyst Russ Crupnick added that iPhone and iPod owners are more likely to be early adopters, which he claimed were predominantly young males. He didn't provide gender-specific data.

Part of the distinction also came from the kind of content available: free apps were the most common downloads for Apple's hardware, followed by games and music. Console owners unsurprisingly leaned towards expansion packs, full games, and movies. Despite Blu-ray players often having Internet features focused almost exclusively on movies, only a third of their owners actually rented a movie, the researchers said.

Internet access has become a common feature across all three categories, but the feature has been given very different levels of exposure. The feature is either built-in or near essential on the iPhone and iPod, both of which have their app and media stores positioned directly in front of new users and require downloads to get new content. Consoles like the PS3 and Xbox 360 often make Internet access an important feature but in many cases don't need downloaded media to work. Internet use on Blu-ray players is still in its infancy and, apart from services like Netflix or Vudu, is often limited to small news widgets and basic media streaming.

By Electronista Staff