iPhones Post Strong Gains in Mobile Usage for Week of Oct. 19

With its strongest showing since the week of Sept. 7, iPod usage among New York City mobile commuters garnered a whopping 48% of all mobile media consumption in the subway. That was second only to the iPod usage during the week of Sept. 7. Newspaper reading among mobile media consumers dropped to 19% for the week of Oct. 19, down from 27% the week before. Books are holding steady with roughly one in five mobile media consumers on the R, N or W trains preferring the the long form media to relieve the drudgery of the underground slog. On the afternoon trains, not surprisingly, newspaper reading sinks while iPod usage rises.

Here's the weekly scorecard:

iPods 48%
Newspapers 19%
Books 19%
Magazines 7%
Blackberries 7%
Videogames 1%

iPods #1 for Mobile Media Consumption for the Week of Oct. 12, 2009

iPods continued to rank as medium of choice among New York City subway commuters. 33% of mobile media consumers of Gotham subway riders on the R or N lines were spotted using iPods (or iPhones). Newspapers ranked #2 (again) with 27% of mobile media consumption. Books posted a strong week, coming in with 26% of all mobile media consumption (up from 22% in the month of September).

Newspapers dominated the morning with 35% of mobile media consumption. Those freebies are too hard to resist for commuters. But the afternoon belongs to the iJunkies with 38% of mobile consumers tethered to their devices.

Not one e-reader was spotted this week. There were many instances of video game usage, but it was predominantly on iPhones and iPods.

Here's the overall breakdown for the week:

iPods 33%
Newspapers 27%
Books 26%
Blackberries 7%
Magazines 6%
Videogames 1%
e-Readers 0%

Mobile Media Consumption for the Week of Oct. 5, 2009

The trend is clear. Or should I shay, "The i-Trend is clear." iPod usage looks the the preferred choice of mobile media consumption for New York City subway riders in 2009. Unless a $99 e-reader comes along with color screen, iPod usage looks very strong among Manhattan's mobile commuters. For the week of Oct. 2, 2009, iPod consumption garnered 35% of all mobile media consumption followed (closely) by newspaper reading. Book reading remains strong at 21%. These are the big three of subway mobile consumers.

Newspaper usage in the morning soared this week to 44%, outstripping even iPod usage. I spotted one e-reader this week. I continue to see a lot of video game usage, but it's almost exclusively on iPods.

One more important development. I bought an i-Phone Oct. 3. But I'm too busy taking notes to consume media during my commute.

Here's the breakdown for the week:

iPods 35%
Newspapers 30%
Books 21%
Magazines 7%
Blackberries 6%
Videogames 1%
e-Readers 1%

Mobile Media Consumption for the Week of Sept. 28, 2009

Once again, New York City subway commuters preferred iPods and iPhones as their mobile medium of choice. iP usage garnered almost 40% of all mobile media consumption, the most I've seen since I've been tracking. Magazine reading more than doubled from the previous week, snaring 13% of all mobile media consumption (up from 6% the week before). Newspaper reading continues to be three times as strong in the morning (30% of mobile media consumption vs a mere 9% in the afternoon). And books remain fairly constant in the morning/afternoon commutes with about a quarter of all mobile media consumption.

It's also worth noting that I spotted another e-reader on the afternoon commute of September 27. While it is statistically insignificant, it's definitely worth noting.

Here's the full-day story for the week of September 28.

iPod/MP-3 39%
Newspaper 21%
Books 25%
Magazine 13%
Blackberry 2%

iPods, Newspapers Rule in September for Mobile Use

The results are in for the first monthly tabulation of mobile media consumption in New York. iPod usage by Manhattan's mobile media consumers riding the R and N trains to and from Queens posted a strong 37% of all mobile media consumption. In the warm weather, it's relatively easy to spot an iPod-toting user but when people are bundled in scarfs and down jackets with bulky hoods it will be a challenge. Newspaper reading was also strong, although it must be said that most of the newspaper readers I spotted were scanning the free dailies. Almost a quarter of all mobile media users had their heads buried in books, which makes them the world's smartest commuters or the most stupid for not paying for attention to the dangers of subterranean NY. Below are the detailed results:

iPods 37%
Newspapers 28%
Books 22%
Blackberries 6%
Magazines 4%
Videogames 2%
e-Readers 1%