88% of All Mobile Apps are Part of Android or iOS Ecosystems

Some 12 months ago, fewer than 40 percent of mobile subscribers in the United States had smart phones. In early 2012, that percentage has grown to at least 50 percent. That, in turn, is going to have implications for use of mobile apps and bandwidth consumption, at the very least. 

Much of the activity will continue to be driven by the Android and iOS ecosystems.

Of smart phone owners who have downloaded an app at any point in the last 30 days,  88 percent are part of either the iOS or Android ecosystems, Nielsen reports. 

In just a year, the average number of apps per smartphone has grown 28 percent, from 32 apps  per user to 41 apps per user. 

In addition, mobile app users are spending more time with apps than browser experiences, some 10 percent more than last year, Nielsen says. 

Some things haven’t changed, however. The top five apps continue to be Facebook, YouTube, Android Market, Google Search, and Gmail.