iPhone More Buzzed than Palm Pre, Says Nielsen

The use of iPhones has been growing. As of April 2009, Nielsen estimated that there are 6.4 million
active iPhone users in the U.S., up from 2.1 million a year prior.  The estimates are not in yet for the Palm Pre, but is at least 50,000 and as much as 100,000.

An entry in the Nielsen blog suggests that the
most impactful iPhone announcement this week may be the price reduction
of $99 for the 8 GB version: cost has been one factor (in addition to
AT&T exclusivity) that's kept the overall iPhone audience modestly
sized.

Nielsen shows the big  iPhone buzz continues to dominate the blogosphere. The Palm Pre
didn't get as much buzz, according to their chart. 

Wireless and Mobile News has covered the Palm Pre extensively, because it note a change in the smartphone game and we support all our readers phone choices.

Here are some of Nielsen iPhone user stats:

• 37% watch video on their phone (6x as likely as the typical subscriber.)
• The iPhone audience is age-diverse: a device this powerful isn't
  just for kids. There are roughly as many iPhone users 55 and older as
  there are 13-24.
• iPhone users look good to mobile marketers. Forty-percent have
  household incomes of $100K or more - twice the ratio among all
  subscribers (19%). That income may also be helpful for current iPhone
  owners who want to upgrade: in-contract iPhone owners may have to pay
  an additional $200 to upgrade before their contract expires.
• It's not just for looks. 98% of iPhone users use the data features
  of their phone, services that should improve with the enhanced speed
  promised by the iPhone 3G S.
• 88% use the Internet (making them 4x as likely as the typical subscriber.)

• 75% download apps (5x as likely as the typical subscriber.)
• 72% used location based services (7x as likely as the typical subscriber.)

These are all builti into the iPhone it will be interesting to see what happens as more smartphone owners like Palm Pre users become more aware of the features of their phones.