The defining technology platform battle of the age – Google v. Apple – is often seen in black-and-white, either/or terms. But while it is assumed people have adopted either one or the other, or even that households are dominated by either one or the other technology, the reality is more complex. According to our latest ConsumerMetrix report, Android v. Apple: Household Ownership and Personal Usage, up to 28% of homes actually own one or more devices on each platform, and up to 20% of people claim to use both iOS and Android at least on a weekly basis.

This suggests on the one hand that some smartphone and tablet users use only Android or iOS, but that they share a household with someone using the other platform. But some individuals are actually frequently using both platforms, either because they own different smartphones for different purposes or perhaps a smartphone and tablet based on different platforms.
 

Android is most dominant in Germany, where 68% of homes own at least one Android device compared to 23% owning Apple. Apple is stronger than in Germany in both UK and US homes (45% and 44% penetration respectively) but in each case still lags behind Android, which is in 66% of UK and 56% of US homes. It’s worth noting that typically between a third and a quarter of people still do not use any smart device in the countries included in the survey.

Not surprisingly Apple’s strength is in higher income segments. iOS is owned in more than 60% of homes earning more than $100k a year, although Android is also in more than half of these homes. Apart from that, Android leads Apple in all other income groups and in every age group.

These findings are based on a survey of 6000 respondents carried out in the US and four major European markets at the end of last year. We will be updating this research in the coming weeks and it will be interesting to track any key changes in these findings.

David Mercer