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As of February, China became the world’s biggest user of smartphones, bumping the US out of the No 1 spot.
That will likely never change, since China has 1.3 billion people compared to 313 million in the US, reports mobile analytics company Flurry, who first noted the rise of China.
That got us thinking. How many people use smartphones in other countries and what kinds of things do they do with them?
China: Likes the furtive nature of smartphones
Number of mobile phones in use: 1.2 billion
Number of smartphones: 246 million
Fun fact: More than half (52 per cent) of Chinese smartphone users like the device because they can use it furtively or “without being seen easily.” China smartphone users also love apps. 27 per cent of them use more than 21 apps on their smartphones.
USA: Vast majority of working age people already have a smartphone
Number of mobile phones in use: 333 million
Number of smartphones: 230 million
Fun fact: The vast majority of 18-54-year-olds in the US already have a smartphone. Of those over 65, some 40 per cent of the wealthy ones, making over $100K a year, have smartphones, too.
Japan: They love apps, but not social media
Number of mobile phones in use: 128 million
Number of smartphones: 78 million
Fun fact: Japanese users love apps. They average a whopping 41 apps per phone, but they don’t like social media. About one-third never use their phones for a social media site.
Bonus fun fact: Japanese scientists have developed a phone with a case that feels like human skin.
Brazil: They love social apps
Number of mobile phones in use: 259 million
Number of smartphones: 55 million
Fun fact: Brazilian smartphone owners love social networking. 18% of the apps downloaded in Brazil are social apps—only one country downloads a higher percentage of social apps: the United States (20%), reports Latin Link.
India: They love the web and online chatting
Number of mobile phones in use: About 700 million
Number of smartphones: 44 million
Fun fact: In India, men use their smartphones for apps and the Web and women use theirs to communicate on social media sites and for IM, according to Nielsen.
The UK: They never put their smartphones down
Number of mobile phones in use: 76 million
Number of smartphones: 43 million
Fun fact: 22 per cent of UK adults admit they re highly addicted to their smartphones and 22 per cent say they’ve even answer their phones while using the bathroom, reports TechShortly.
South Korea: Even their stores cater to their smartphones
Number of mobile phones in use: 56 million
Number of smartphones: 32 million
Fun fact: South Korea invented the concept of the “virtual retail shop” for smartphone users. The shelves are just pictures of products. Shoppers scan the product’s barcode and the item is delivered later that day.
Germany: Their smartphones go better with a beer
Number of mobile phones in use: 107 million
Number of smartphones: 27 million
Fun fact: German citizens are the world’s second-biggest consumers of beer (after the Czechs), so smartphone users are more likely to use their phones to search for a restaurant or pub (39%) than they are to check their bank accounts (30%), according to Google’s Our Mobile Planet report.
France: they might want to tax their smartphones
Number of mobile phones in use: 72 million
Number of smartphones: 26 million
Fun fact: France is considering implementing a 1% “culture tax” on smartphones, similar to the one it imposed on T.V. and radio. The money would go to fund the creation of French digital content like books, music and movies. (Senator Catherine Noone here in Ireland has suggested we similarly tax smartphones and put the money towards suicide prevention measures).
Canada: They get credit for ‘Great Canadian Apps’
Number of mobile phones in use: 27 million.
Number of smartphones: 23 million
Fun fact: There are so many great app developers in Canada, and so many Canada-specific apps, that Apple has a “Great Canadian Apps” section in its App store.
Russia: They have apps for prisoners
Number of mobile phones in use: 256 million
Number of smartphones: 22 million
Fun fact: Prisoners in Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service recently got their own smartphone apps. It lets loved ones on the outside send messages and pictures to inmates.
One problem: apparently not all inmates have smartphones. Last month authorities busted a cat trying to smuggle in phones. They were taped to her little kitty belly.
Spain: They can’t live, or eat, without their smartphones
Number of mobile phones in use: 56 million
Number of smartphones: 18 million
Fun fact: In a recent survey by Apigee, Spain ranked as the most smartphone app-reliant country with 93% saying they can’t get through the day without their apps, and 11% saying that can’t order dinner without an app, reports Mashable.
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Banned on the Tube and buses in London, Paris. Rome.
Not just Ireland. Scooter batteries are very dangerous. No business having them in an enclosed space.
@Alan OConnor: rental scooters
@John Rock: haven’t they already introduced rental scooters here
@Alan OConnor: funny how stuff only becomes dangerous when it is privately owned and the taxman cant get his cut.
These scooters badly need to be regulated I have had several near misses driving in and out of the local train station, they are a danger. No doubt drivers will take the blame for collisions.
@Laura Mulcahy: How do you cope, fair play
@Laura Mulcahy: The laws are actually in place. The problem in the situation you are describing is that they are not being enforced. I’ve the same problem around here. Young lad only 8 yo on one of them constantly, constantly going up and down the foot path on the bloody thing
Gardai are doing nothing about it, even after he knocked one of the elderly neighbours down.
There is a horrific video of a man bringing a e scooter battery into a lift. As soon as the doors close the battery combusts. Wish I hasn’t viewed the video, absolute nightmare fuel, but I can understand the ban a bit more.
@John K: is there? How many times would say this has happened?, Or was it a freak accident…? Cause to ban scooters altogether from public transport? What’s your view on motor bikes in general, safe? Ot cars for that matter?
@damien leen: maybe save up for a car instead of depending on these lethal menace machines
@damien leen: here now, you promoting bringing motorbikes and cars onto the bus??
@damien leen: my view is that people should be free to take risks, be it riding bikes, e-bikes or driving cars. My issue is when that risk is imposed on other people.
@Buster Lawless: 184 people died in car crashes last year… time to ban cars then.. bus, train and tram only..
@damien leen: in the UK in 2023 there were 199 fires caused by e bikes/ scooters. Look up a video of one going on fire and tell me you want to be sitting on the same carriage as that.
@Buster Lawless: what are talking about a gun!
@John K: what you’ve left out of that stat is that it was 143 ebikes and just 36 e-scooters. Yet ebikes still allowed on public transport. See the hypocrisy yet?
@Smelly Head: I mentioned ebikes/scooters. I’m not going to provide a complete breakdown of the study? I agree both should probably be banned from public transport. I wouldn’t want to be stuck on a bus or train with either.
@John K: I was pointing out the hypocrisy of banning one and not the other if they’re going to cite fire risk as a reason. Anyway, I’ve now bought an e-bike because of this ban, so they’d better not ban them. It’s CE marked, as per the regs. So was my scooter, but such is the tunnel vision of the NTA that they’ve blanket banned them anyway.
Good old Ireland just banning something yet again instead of trying to accommodate its citizens. Horrible little nanny state.
@Lewis Armstrong: don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
@Lewis Armstrong: ramblings of a mad man
@Lewis Armstrong: Tbh mate, I’ve seen loads of videos of these things spontaneously exploding and causing devastating damage from LiPo battery fires. It’s not worth the risk. I know it’s only a small handful of them that do explode, but I would rather have them outright banned on the trains than risk causing catastrophic damage that could cost thousands.
Safety at last. A ticking time bomb with these scooters about to explode everywhere on the buses. No ban them everywhere!!!
@Buster Lawless: at least on a bus you’d some chance of surviving….. But on an intercity train….when that grenade goes boom it’ll take a few carriages with it, well done NTA on this
@Kevvy kerrr: exactly everyone will be blown to smithereens
@Buster Lawless: “ticking time bomb”,” explode everywhere”!! Make sure to wear your high vis, to be safe, to be seen, and ask yourself if it’s safe.
@Kevvy kerrr: grenade? Exaggerating much? It’s people like you what cause unrest.
@Buster Lawless: “smithereens” “ticking time bomb” “grenade” My God, and they say women are hysterical? Are you all sure you’re not v@g!na-owners?
Bicycles should also be banned on Dart. Total madness when you see about 4/5 people get in one carriage with bicycles blocking everything for everyone. Dart security should throw them out on the nearest stop.
@Sergej Simonov: I agree with you. In fact they are not allowed on the DART at certain times. Plenty of posters and leaflets informing the customers about it but nobody cares. People with bikes looks the other way, same as staff who don’t enforce it to avoid the more than likely discussion with the customer.
At the end we get bikes bikes everywhere, blocking doors and compromising the safety of the passengers.
And don’t even think of saying sthg to the bike owner. They feel they are entitle to do as they please despite the ban.
Same is gonna happen with the e-scooters, enforcing the ban for a week or two, if we are lucky and then back to square one.
Wait and see. Leeway country all the way.
If only the owners had to learn the road regulations!
@anne marie le flohic: same for cyclists
Scooter batteries are more dangerous because they are lower to the ground than ebike batteries…by what, a couple I’d feet, if that. Jesys wept!
@damien leen: ??I knew a guy fell off stepladder,broke 2 ribs & wrist…….. Then this other fella fell off roof of high rise apartment building…..had to have closed coffin… So??
@Kevvy kerrr: quick! Ban stepladders! Ban high rise apartments!
Taking away people’s way to get to work. Good old Ireland now I’m fecked. I wonder what the stats are for journeys with E- scooters on public transport exploding in Ireland are …never.
@John Rock: you might want to take the “gamble”…….. I shouldn’t be at risk of being blown to Kingdom come by your choices
@Kevvy kerrr: it’s not a bomb.Be careful of your TV, phone, computer etc. then.
@Kevvy kerrr: “blown to kingdom come” you absolute drama queen. It’s not an IRA scooter, you know.
ban the cycles in the Luas too or reinstate the e-scooter. you basically condemn people for the choice they made
@Dominic Leleu: tell me how does e scooters or bicycles work on a busy train, bus, or dart ?Do they not take up a lot of room ?Do less people get on the train because of them ?
I wish too that E-Scooters were not used on footpaths. A footpath is for a pedestrian, not bikes or E-Scooters. Such a danger to elderly, wheelchair user, visually impaired, children. It’s a joke.
@Veronica Elliott: I see it regularly on footpaths what are they doing about it
Vapes, mobile phones and laptops all have lithium batteries in them……………
Cant beat a bit of banning Ted.
Fireman Sam must be on the board of the NTA
If only there was a way of making batteries removable…
Been working on scooters about 4 or 5 years now and I can tell you that the batteries going on fire are homemade or modified. Particularly uber and deliveroo drivers in the city center who need 10 batteries to ensure they can drive all day so they make their own as 10 batteries new could cost you up to 3000, its very appealing to try make them yourself. You’ll know them when you see them, usually wrapped in a load of tape.
BMW anyone.
I think ive seen more cars gone on fire than scooters. Maybe we should ban cars then too??
@Stephen Purcell: where are all the cars going on fire that u see?
It took Eamon Ryan about 6 to 7 years to pass them through the government and he couldn’t even do that right. He should have put in helmets hi_vis and gloves to go along with them which would make them a lot safer. Thank god he will never get in again. As for them going on fire that’s b—l sh- – e. You only have to travel any day on the M50 to see what e cars are on fire and people running away from them.
@Noel: helmets and hi-vis are part of the legislation. The problem is, nobody is enforcing it
@Smelly Head: shocking (no pun intended) that no one is enforcing legislation in Ireland. It’s just one of many things that are unenforced until something happens. To be fair, though, we are still awaiting other safety measures to reduce road deaths we were promised would be in place before last Christmas so a review of this ebike/scooter legislation is a decade off at least
A very stupid thing to do. Horse riding is far more dangerous.
They’ll have to ban smartphones and laptops aswell…they also have a lithium ion battery.
Took me 90 min to get from lucan to the pigeon house. I’d have done that on a Escooter in 45 min. Why would you want to bring a scooter on a bus? That like putting your car on the Dublin to Galway train.
have your say