Facebook And Google Neck And Neck In User Facetime

Forrester Research announced a study that showed the notion that Google should be suffering from smartphone users opting for time with apps rather than Web surfing does not in fact jibe with reality.

As The Wall Street Journal reported Monday (June 29), Forrester surveyed 2,000 U.S. smartphone users late last year. Of that tally, users spent roughly 12 percent of their time steeped in Google apps, just a little less than the 13 percent spent in Facebook applications.

But, WSJ noted, some data may be a bit skewed. In fact the time spent with Google apps is perhaps much higher than reported. That’s because respondents were asked by Forrester to list only apps they downloaded and the time spent on those apps. That discounts the Google apps that come preloaded on devices that utilize the Android operating system, including apps that are as pervasive and widely used as YouTube. A similar “undercount” may impact Apple, according to the research, as many apps come preloaded on iPhones.

As WSJ reported, Forrester itself alluded to the wider value inherent in platforms. “Apps are worth millions. Platforms are worth billions,” Forrester’s Julie Ask wrote in the report. “If you want to make money in mobile, build a killer platform.” And yet, according to the analyst, some apps have the potential to grow into mobile platforms. Examples include Tencent’s WeChat and Facebook ‘s Messenger service.

Users spent similar amounts of time — in the low single digit percentages — between Amazon, Yahoo and Microsoft, with 3 percent, 2 percent and 1 percent, respectively. That is roughly in line with, or less than, Apple at about 3 percent.

Perhaps no surprise: Forrester said Facebook and Google users spent the bulk of their time using social networking and media programs.

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