More than 1 in 3 adults now owns a smartphone, according to a new study by The Pew Research Center.
One of the pages of "Today's Deals" appears on the screen of an iPhone, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)The smartphone has replaced the desktop and laptop computer as the main avenue to the Internet for many Americans, and more than one in three adults now owns a smartphone, according to a new study.
Indeed, one in four smartphone users does most of his or her online browsing from the phone, according to a report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, part of the Washington-based Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank.
“For a number of Americans, smartphones now serve as the primary on-ramp to the world of digital information,” said Aaron W. Smith, the author of the report.
The Pew study, which was based on interviews with about 2,300 people, found smartphone ownership varied considerably by race and age. In fact, ownership among minorities is significantly higher than the national average. While 30 percent of whites owned smartphones, 44 percent of black and Latino adults owned them, the study found.
As expected, smartphone ownership was highest among the young. For the group age 25 to 34, 58 percent owned smartphones.
“Smartphone ownership begins to tail off at around 45 years of age, before dropping dramatically at around age 65. Just one in 10 seniors owns a smartphone, and 44 percent do not have a cell phone of any kind,” the report said.
Smartphone usage is clearly on the rise. The Pew study found that 35 percent of U.S. adults now own a smartphone.
According to ComScore, a company that tracks digital trends, 76.8 million Americans owned smartphones during the three months ending in May, up 11 percent from the preceding three-month period.
Acknowledging the explosive growth in wireless network capacity, Verizon Wireless joined some other wireless providers last week, including AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA, in ending unlimited data plans for new smartphone customers. Customers currently on a data plan will not be affected.
Verizon’s new basic plan will allow customers to use up to 2 gigabytes of data a month before being charged more than the $30 price for the plan. However, according to the company’s own research, 95 percent of smartphone users do not exceed the 2-gigabyte limit in a month.
Michael Murphy, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless New England, said the company is introducing the state-of-the art wireless network, 4G (or fourth generation), in Greater Springfield.
It will allow customers “with 4G ... smartphones, laptop modems and hotspots the ability to take advantage of speeds up to 10 times faster than our 3G network,” he said.