I realize that for the most part us Canucks (Canadians to the rest of ya) are a pretty laid back bunch of folks who take our time to warm up to new and cool things but it seems that we are only now joining our neighbors to the south in their love for all things smartphonie.
This is according to a new survey from Ipsos Reid where they are reporting that 31% of Canadians now own a smartphone, which is a jump of more that 50% over last year.
Not only are more of us owning the things but we’re doing more things on them than we ever have in the past.
“For several years, smartphone growth was incremental at best, but in 2011, it’s been exponential” says Steve Mossop, President with Ipsos Reid’s Western Canada practice. “A combination of device enhancements, Android, and the explosion of apps has resulted in a significant uptake of smartphones among Canadians to the point where usage levels are competing television viewing and internet browsing in terms of hours spent.”
Not surprisingly, smartphone ownership is significantly higher amongst younger Canadians; in particular, 46 percent of those online Canadians aged 18 to 34 own a smartphone, and their usage (21 hours per week) is significantly higher than older Canadians.
And for the first time ever, the majority of smartphone usage (54 percent) is for activities other than talking (you know, the original purpose of a phone back in the 1900s). Smartphone users take photos (70 percent), send or read email (70 percent), check the weather (52 percent), and send or receive IM’s (52 percent) with their device. The most drastic increase in smartphone usage rates is connected with social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), with 48 percent of smartphone owners use their devices to check social networking sites, an increase of nearly twenty points since previously measured in the spring of 2010.
via TechVibes
I will say that it sure makes those long winter nights in the igloo a lot more enjoyable.
