Pew Research Center says half of US adults have apps on their phones

In the past two years, the percentage of US adults who have downloaded apps onto their smartphones has almost doubled, according to a recent survey compiled by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project.

In September 2009, the total share was 22 percent, which had risen to 38 percent by August.

When pre-installed apps are taken into account, however, the number of adults who have apps on their phones in the US sits at 50 percent. That was 43 percent in May 2010.

Tablet crunching

When it comes to tablets, apparently 10 percent of adults currently own one, with 75 percent of owners downloading apps, which translates to 8 percent of all US adults.

The survey was conducted between July 25-August 26 with 2,260 adults aged 18 and over participated. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

"While mobile apps are a fairly new approach to accessing online content, the main functions they fill for users are the same we've seen with previous technologies - namely information gathering and communication," notes Kristen Purcell, author of the report.

"It's too early to know if, by providing instant, direct connections to information, apps are a game changer. While they are a significant change from using search engines and web browsers, the basic functions apps fill are not revolutionary."

[source: Pew Internet]