Report: iPhone trumps other smartphones for web use

When it comes to mobile media use, it seems that iPhone users massively outnumber its competitors, according to comScore M:Metrics survey.

The survey questioned 62,703 mobile users aged 13 and above from the UK (33,931), Germany (15,202) and France (13,570) and asked them about their handset habits.

comScore M:Metrics found that 80 per cent of iPhone owners used their device to browse news and information on the mobile web.

This figure is a stark contrast to the 32 per cent of people who deploy other smartphones for similar activities. Meanwhile, 70 per cent of iPhone users listened to music on their device, compared to the 33 per who did so using other smartphones.

PR and marketing manager at M:Metrics Tina Aird said the figures were hardly surprising.

"These results were to be expected. People do spend a lot more time surfing the mobile web on their phones and the iPhone has such a great browser interface."

The survey by comScore also found that 42 per cent of iPhone users visited social networking sites on their devices, compared to just 10 per cent of other smartphone owners.

A further 70 per cent of iPhone users send and received emails via their devices, while just 26 per cent of smartphone users did so.

According to senior analyst at comScore M:Metrics Paul Goode, the advent of 3G iPhones last week will also see mobile internet use increase.

"Our data confirm that the iPhone and its requisite data plan have succeeded in drawing consumers to the mobile web," he said.

"Even without 3G networking, users are happy to browse and consume as much content as they can and as soon as the data speeds improve, these figures will likely continue to increase."

According to the report, improvements in iPhone handset features and reduced pricing should also have a significant impact on numbers.