Canadians Spend Less Time on Smartphones Than Last Year

Canada's love affair with mobile rages on, but it seems as if the relationship is entering the 'comfort zone.'

The spring 2012 wave of Ipsos Reid's Mobil-ology, a study of the mobile market in Canada, shows that the frequency at which Canadians are using their smartphones, tablets and eReaders remains stable, however, the average duration of time they report using them has declined. "Initially, seasonality was suspected as a cause of this reported behaviour," says Mary Beth Barbour, Senior Vice President with Ipsos Reid. "However, the average duration of use has failed to return to the higher levels recorded a year earlier in spring 2011. This is beginning to suggest a potential shift in usage patterns." Wave 3 of the study, conducted in March/April 2012, shows that device usage has stabilized over time. On average, Canadians report using their Smartphones 222 times per month, Tablets 115 times per month, and eReaders 38 times per month.