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Apple AirPlay leads the way in screen mirroring, but overall uptake still low

Apple’s wireless AirPlay technology is by far the most well-known and most popular screen mirroring solution available today, new research published on Monday has suggested.

The tech, which allows iOS and Mac OS X device owners to send content to the Apple an Apple TV set-top box, is more popular than Samsung’s All Share or Microsoft’s Xbox SmartGlass, research from NPD claims.

The research says 40 per cent of smartphone and tablet owners are now aware of such services, however, only 7 per cent of all users are currently making use of the technology.

Over 22 per cent of people surveyed were aware of AirPlay, while around 13 per cent recognised Samsung’s AllShare and about 12 per cent were familiar with Xbox SmartGlass.

“Screen sharing solutions are somewhat new, many only launched in 2012, so we don’t expect a lot of consumers to be using the technology yet,” said John Buffone, director of devices, at NPD.  “The awareness number is a positive indicator and will help build the foundation to engage more consumers with second screen experiences.”

Of the 7 per cent of users who were making use of screen mirroring services, 75 per cent of them are beaming video from smartphones and tablets to television sets, while over half are using the service to send photos from devices to external monitors.

Around 23 per cent are sending documents to the TV (perhaps spreadsheets and presentations from programmes like Keynote and Numbers on iOS?), while just over 20 per cent are using screen mirroring technology to play games.

The key to increased use of such services, according to NPD, will be standardardised hardware requirements. For example, to use AirPlay, Apple device owners must also have an Apple TV set to box.

“Breaking into the mass-market is often a challenge with a new technology,” said Buffone.  “Currently, several of the screen mirroring applications such as AirPlay and AllShare require specific devices to operate.  Bringing screen sharing experiences to a larger consumer base will require simplifying hardware requirements as well as amplifying the value of being able to share content across screens.”

Via: ArsTechnica

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