What do people use their iPhones for?

The Apple iPhone is a fantastic device with a whole range of capabilities. These include browsing the internet, downloading and playing games, watching and streaming videos, taking photos and videos, social media apps, productivity apps and more.

With the way that iOS has developed, and with the new release of iOS 7, there is so much that can be done using the Apple iPhone.

The new iOS 7 has been updated to feature a smoother user interface and some great new basic interface changes. For example, there is now a much improved notification center.

But what exactly do people use their iPhones for? Surely the iPhone is not so popular because it makes calls and texting so easy?

Apple has shipped over 365 million iOS devices since the launch of the original iPhone, so surely there is more to it.

According to NetMarketShare, the usage of iOS devices has increased by 15 percent every year. The Apple iPhone is also used more by its owners than Android smartphones.

So lets break down what owners of the Apple iPhone actually use their devices for.

According to New Zoo, 84 percent of mobile gaming revenue was captured by iOS. 90 percent of the e-commerce revenue on smartphones also comes from iOS devices.

iOS developers on average earn about 6 times more than Android developers.

But in terms of actual usage, according to ChangeWave Research (2011), iPhone satisfaction rates have been increasing too.

iPhone users use their iPhones for the following:

• Games (61%)
• Weather (55%)
• Maps, Navigation and Search (55%)
• Social Networking (49%)
• Music (42%)
• News (24%)
• Entertainment (33%)
• Banking and Finance (28%)
• Dining (25%)
• Sports (24%)
• Productivity(22%)
• Shopping (21%)
• Video (21%)
• Travel (20%)

These are some interesting statistics, compiled from the Nelson Company. It is interesting to note that gaming takes up a very large proportion of total iPhone usage.

Does this mean that smartphone gaming could be gaining momentum? Many of us already play smartphone games, especially on the iPhone. But these games are also limited.

Thanks to developing hardware and technology, smartphones are becoming more and more capable of delivering high performance gaming. Could we all be playing graphic intense games on our smartphones in the future?

It can also be seen that maps, navigation and search features also take up a large proportion of the usage of the Apple iPhone. Apple recently introduced their own mapping system, replacing Google Maps. iPhone users can still access Google maps via the app store.

The iPhone can be used to get directions from place to place, search for nearby locations of interest and even turn by turn navigation. It is likely that many iPhone users are replacing their older GPS systems with their iPhones. Thanks to 4G connectivity, the Apple iPhone is a great GPS alternative.

Social networking is also at the top when it comes to iPhone usage. The Apple iPhone has access to a huge range of social networking applications. These apps have been designed for the iPhone.

Some of these apps include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Stumble Upon, Google Plus and more. There are also a range of communication apps like What's App and Kik. Many iPhone users have even replaced traditional text and calls with apps like Skype and Viber.

It can be seen that gaming, navigation and social networking make up the largest part of Apple iPhone usage. But what do you use your iPhone for?