Latino Smart Phone Usage

Latinos are snapping up smart phones at a rapid pace and using these phones to surf the web more often than the general population. One of my first posts, Why the iPhone is Latino discussed the high percent of Hispanic ownership of the iPhone. I argued that it was an affordable status symbol.

Today, I revise my thinking to say that it's not just a badge to make us feel good. It's also a computer in our pocket so we can "stay connected." The Mintel Study found that Hispanics who use the Internet devote nearly three times as much time weekly to browsing websites on their cell phones (1.1 hours versus 0.4 hours for non-Hispanics).

Why do we do this? Well we Hispanics certainly stay connected with more people on average than the general market. But I have a feeling that our usage of these technologies has less to do with our culture, than our age. The Hispanic median age is 26.7 vs. 37 for the general market. Younger folks tend to be more tech savvy and enjoy connecting with family and friends via the web. My hypothesis, since Hispanics are younger - our age, not our culture, make us have a greater propensity to do things like surfing the web on our phones.

Why the iPhone is Latino

As I was researching competitive information for a wireless client, I came across a really interesting fact. Over 32% of iPhone owners are Hispanic despite the fact that they only represent 15% of the population. Very interesting.

That made me wonder: why is the iPhone so popular among Latinos?

It's no surprise we like the functionality of the phone. I mean, we spend a lot of time downloading music, videos, wall papers, texting, IMing, emailing, etc. But there are plenty of other phones that do the same thing. Maybe not as cool, but certainly cheaper.

Yet, the answer is really quite simple. It's status. Who wants a Blackberry Curve when you can have an iPhone? The iPhone says something about who you are. It's like driving around in a BMW with an Administrative Assistant's salary.

And when you're present during everything from the mundane every day, to abuelitas Sunday barbeque after church, then you're part of the family. iPhone, welcome to the familia.