Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) has been reporting some sucess with monetizing its mobile use and that aspect of its platform is continuing to grow and expand. And based on a recent survey of active users, Facebook is having its most success reaching out to those who use iOS-based devices, like the iPhone by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).
Enders Analytics recently reported results of a survey from September 2012 which looked at the monthly active users of acebook inc. (NASDAQ:FB) and broke down access to the social-media site by device and/or operating system used. Analyst Benedict Evans explainged the findings of the survey that was conducted.
Overall, Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) boasts more than 600 million users on mobile devices, which is nearly 60 percent of the site’s 1.07 billion registered users. Broken down, those who use the Facebook app from an Android phone by Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) accounts for about 16 percent of the mobile user base, while iOS by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) makes up 13 percent of the market, feature phones at 7 percent and BlackBerry by Research in Motion Limited (NASDAQ:RIMM) at 6 percent. In terms of raw numbers, Evans noted, about 175 million users are on Android devices while about 140 million are on iOs devices.
When the numbers are drilled deeper, one notes that while more Androids have the Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) app than IOs smartphones, Facebook is recording deeper penetration of the iOs market. Evans notes here that the number of iOs smartphones that access Facebook is more than 70 percent of the total of about 200 million iOS smartphones in the market. Meanwhile, the 175 million or so Android smartphones that access Facebook accounts for only about 40 percent of the overall Android market, when you take out those Android phones in China that are blocked from accessing Facebook. Overall, the penetration rate is about one-third of all Android devices worldwide.
What is the trend for Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) going forward, especially when it comes to the larger universe of Android devices?
However, Evans notes in his blog post about this survey, that Android was the largest growth sector for Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) in its mobile usage, growing from 66 million in September of 2011 to 175 million a year later. By comparison, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS smartphones grew from 91 million to 140 million. As a whole, Facebook mobile usage has nearly doubled, from 240 million (30 percent of the total number of users) to about 470 million (44 percent of the total user base). For Facebook to succeed in the long term via mobile, it is likely that it will need to see a growth trajerctory in Android devices that is similar to the trajectory already noted and what has been achieved in overall mobile usage.
As of 11 a.m. ET Monday, Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) stock was up 2 percent on the day to $29.34 a share.
Is Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) right to focus on mobile for its long-term health? How important will Android be for Facebook? Give us your thoughts on this survey, on Facebook in general and on the future of mobile. Is Facebook a good play, in your opinion?
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