iPod Usage Marches on as Devices Record Rise in March

iPod/iPhone usage among Manhattan's mobile media consumers captured 42% of the total mobile media consumption during the month of March 2010. The last time this blog reported monthly numbers -- back in October 2009 - "only" 39 percent of Gotham commuters on the city's R, N or W lines (from 60th Street/Third Ave to the 55th St. Station). Other media posting gains from last year included magazines, jumping from 6% to 8% in March; and Blackberries, inching up to 6% of total mobile media consumption from 5%. Surprisingly, dedicated e-readers held steady at just 1% of total mobile media consumption. Almost all e-reader activity was spotted during the evening commute. iPods/iPhones garnered a whopping 48% of all mobile media consumption during the evening rush hour in March. Newspaper reading was especially strong in the morning (natch), with twice as many mobile media consumers reading a paper in the morning compared to the evening.

Here are the overall stats for the month:

iPods/iPhones 42%
Newspapers 23%
Books 20%
Magazines 8%
Blackberries 6%
Dedicated E-Readers 1%

(We've dropped our coverage of videogames. We're seeing too many instances of users playing games on other devices.)

Here Comes the E-Reader (Week of March 15, 2010)

This week marked the biggest jump in e-reader usage I have seen on my subway commute. Altogether, 4% of the week's entire mobile media consumption I witnessed involved e-readers. (No, I did not note if they were Kindles or Nooks or the Sony Reader.) But all of it took place in the afternoon....although I would definitely hesitate about drawing any conclusions about that. I guess it's worth noting at this point that when I mention books, I mean the paper kind.

So here's how the total breaks stand for the week:

iPhone/iPods 39%
Newspaper 23%
Books 18%
Magazines 9%
Blackberry 7%
E-Reader 4%

Post for Week of March 8, 2010

New week. Same story. i-devices continued to captured almost 50% of total mobile media consumption on the R, N and W lines in Manhattan (where I travel). During the afternoon commute, i-usage peaked at a whopping 49%. In the morning, it was "merely" 40%. Newspaper consumption remains big in the morning, ranked second only to i-devices. Magazines posted a paltry 5% of all media consumption in the morning, but the number doubled in the afternoon. I did not see a single e-reader during this week. Everyone must be waiting until the April 3 debut of the iPad.

Here are the total breaks:

iPhone/iPod 44%
Books 18%
Newspaper 17%
Magazines 10%
Blackberry 6%

I'm Back....Mobile Media Consumption for the Week of March 1, 2010

It's been many months since I've posted an entry in this blog and the world has shifted somewhat. Apple announced the iPad (will people take it on a subway? is it too delicate?) E-reading has become the talk of the media industry. But here in mobile media consumption land, things are pretty much the same. No significant shifts in mobile media consumption in the N and R subway routes from Queens to Manhattan. So here are some of the trends from the first week of March. By the way, I've dropped the video game category. I've seen a lot of video game playing....but it's mainly on smartphones. I think the dedicated portable video game player will become obsolete as game playing migrates to more multi-functional devices. The big surprise was that I thought dedicated e-reader usage (like a Kindle, Nook, etc.) would be higher reflecting the surge in e-reader purchases over the Christmas holidays. Didn't happen, at least in the first week of March. Newspaper consumption netted 30% of mobile consumption in the morning. Blackberry usage hovers at about 5-7% in both the morning and afternoon commutes, but that's probably because you can't get a signal at this portion of the N and R lines. Here are the overall breaks for the week in morning and afternoon mobile media consumption:

iPod/iPhone 45%
Book 23%
Newspaper 23%
Blackberry 6%
Magazine 4%
E-Reader 1%

The Airline Edition -- Mobile Media Consumer Report

So what medium leads mobile media consumption on air travel. A VERY preliminary analysis suggests that magazines are #1 in mobile media consumption amongst air travelers. This was based on just two airplane trips I took on October 29, 2009, and November 2, 2009. It was a roundtrip on JetBlue from LaGuardia to Fort Lauderdale. On the first leg, I analyzed media consumption during the trip (not counting JetBlue's famed in-seat TV screens, which is on at every seat that I saw) and on the return leg, I analyzed media consumption in at the gate. I did not measure computer usage. And at the gate area, I did not measure cell phone activity.

Magazines were the dominant medium that I observed by carefully walking the entire aisle of the plane and the gate area. I attribute this to the ubiquity of colorful and attractive magazine newsstands in the airport, and the ease of portability and use. iPod usage was surprisingly low, dipping to 8% of media consumption at the gate. After all, who wants to be listening to your iPod and miss an announcement that your flight is boarding? Blackberry usage and magazine reading led all media consumption at the gate, clocking in at 29%.

Here are the mobile media consumption stats for the two flights:

Magazines 32%
Books 27%
iPods 16%
Blackberry 13%
Newspapers 10%
Video games 1%
DVD players 1%

iPod Usage Surges Among Mobile Media Consumers in Oct.

For the month of October, 2009, iPod usage among mobile media consumers in Manhattan continued to rise. 39% of Gotham commuters on Manhattan's R, N or W lines (the line I take to/fr work) were spotted using their iPods or iPhones during their underground trek. That was up 2% from September. Newspaper consumption had the steepest fall-off of 3%. Magazines also posted a strong 2% uptick of 2%, rising from 4% in September to 6% in October. Books remain steady and strong, generating 22% of mobile media consumption for the months of both September and October.

iPod usage in the morning captured 34% of all mobile media consumption. In the afternoon it spiked to 45%. Only 3% of Manhattan mobile media consumers were spotted using their Blackberries in the morning. But it the afternoon, usage almost tripled to 8% of all mobile media consumption for the month of October.

Here are the stats for the month:

iPods/iPhones 39%
Newspapers 25%
Books 22%
Magazines 6%
Blackberries 5%
Videogames 2%
E-Readers 1%

Mobile Media Consumption for the Week of Oct. 25, 2009

No surpise here but iPods continue to rule among Manhattan commuters. Nearly half of all Gotham commuters (45% to be exact) consuming media were spotted using their iPods (or iPhones). This was down slightly from 48% last week, but it still is a hefty bit of mobile media consumption. Books reading rose to 25% of mobile consumption, up from last week's still-healthy 19%. Newspapers are holding relatively steady at 17% of mobile media consumption, powered largely by the free giveaways (look for a special report soon on mobile newspaper consumption).

Here are the breaks for the week:

iPods 45%
Books 25%
Newspapers 17%
Magazines 6%
Blackberry 5%
Videogames 3%