If you are obsessed with Android then you should probably up sticks and move to California right now. If you already live in California then you are best off staying put. As it would seem that besides being the technology magnet state in the US that it is, California also happens to be the number one state when it comes to Android-related keyword searches performed on Google Search. That’s according to the latest data.
If California is not the state for you but you would still like to live with like-minded Android enthusiasts, then you could opt for Washington which came in second, New York (third), New Jersey (fourth) or even Utah (fifth). The rest of the top 10 places were padded out by Massachusetts, Oregon, Nevada, Texas and Colorado – in order. In contrast, the state which seems the least interested in Android (based on number of related keyword searches) was Illinois. Followed by Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Wyoming, and Louisiana – in decreasing interest order. On the basis of these results, you might be forgiven for thinking Illinois is simply more preoccupied with iPhone. While that would seem a natural assumption to make, it would also be exactly why you should avoid making assumptions in the first place as the data suggests that when it comes to Illinois – nothing could be further from the truth.
Applying the same focus and type of analysis on keyword searches related to iPhone, Illinois once again ranked dead last in the US. Basically, Illinois is not that interested in either Android or iPhone – at least not according to how it searches in relation to the other states. In fact, the most “iObsessed” state honor went to New York – who ranked third in terms of Android. Interestingly, when it comes to iPhone searches, California (who ranked first for Android) ranked fourth. So it seems California and New York are somewhat mirror states that almost have switched perfectly depending on whether you are talking Android or iPhone. As for the rest of the iPhone top 5, Georgia came in as the second most interested state, followed by Maryland in third and New Jersey (the only other state to appear in both top 5s) in fifth, after California. You can see the full US breakdown results for both “Android” and “iPhone” in the images below.
Background: The data highlighted here was collected by Kempler Industries and using Google search volume data to better understand the smartphone landscape in the US. Besides the images above, and some minor explanations on the findings, there was no additional information provided on the methodology, who the users were, or when the data was originally collected. In spite of this, the results do make for some interesting reading. For example, Kempler also found some patterns that go well beyond state lines and provide a much broader view of how the US is searching for information on smartphone technology in general. This includes how the western side of the US is more likely to search for Android, while the east side of the country was more inclined to focus their searches in on iPhone. Again, interestingly, Illinois was not alone in its overall indifference with much of the middle of the US proving to be the section of the country that’s the least interested in Android, and the least interested in iPhone. In other words, the least interested in searching for smartphones in general.
Then there was the observations made about the difference between the two operating systems. For example, while the west searched more often for Android and the east for iPhone, there were a number of states who were more inclined (compared to other states) to search for comparisons between the two options – to presumably understand better what makes them different, if anything. Topping what Kempler refers to as the “most confused” state list was Wyoming. Followed closely by Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota and Virginia. Wyoming, incidentally, in addition to appearing to be the most confused state overall, also happened to rank low on both Android and iPhone keyword search lists coming in 47th place in both instances – the lowest ranking in both cases for all of the top 5 ‘confused’ states.
Impact: Although there can be no definitive statements made based on the data, the patterns observed do provide good food for thought for marketing companies and actual smartphone manufacturers, as well as those just generally interested in how different parts of the US think about technology. As there does clearly seem to be — at some level — a difference in the way in which consumers are searching for smartphone information based on their location. With California, New York, and New Jersey arguably the places that are most interested in smartphone technology seeing as these three states ranked in the top 5 for both Android and iPhone.
Likewise, it would also be interesting to see further and more detailed research conducted which looks to build upon and address some of the findings reported here. “Android,” for example, is a fairly loose and all-inclusive term compared to “iPhone” so it might prove interesting to see how Android breaks down at the individual maker/device level. Seeing as Samsung is typically understood as the very definition of Android to a lot of consumers, further understanding how different Android as a search term is to Samsung might provide greater insight into which states better understand Android beyond Samsung. Then of course, it might also prove interesting to take a closer look to see if ‘middle America’ really is so disinterested in smartphones overall or whether the results offered here are more down to other factors. Or why Wyoming is apparently so confused on the difference between Android and iPhone? Or for that matter why California is so accident-prone? Considering in spite of it being the number one state for Android searches, it also happens to be the number one state in the US when it comes to searching for ‘iPhone screen repair.’ Of course, the biggest and most important question that needs to be asked and answered immediately is what’s Illinois’ problem?