Mind The Gender Gap: Tube Map App Shows Men The Way

Online, June 29, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Mind the gender gap: Tube Map app shows men the way

Perhaps the stereotype that men never ask for directions should be changed to men never *need to* ask for directions as annual figures from mxData's London Tube Map reveal that men are twice as likely as women to download the travel application.

Of the 631,000 people who downloaded the app in the past year, 408,000 were men compared with 200,000 women[1]. These figures cannot be attributed to Smartphone statistics as the gender divide of people who own a smartphone is fairly equal, with men accounting for 55% of all smartphone users[2].

David James, CEO of mxData, said: "The saying goes that men never ask for directions; however, with the number of map apps out there, men can keep their pride in check and be rest assured that they can get where they want to be without having to stop and ask people."

Zoe Bell, a careers coach from Brixton, said: "I think women are more likely to either leave their journey to chance or discuss the best route with friends and even strangers on the tube. My boyfriend, on the other hand, always likes to plan ahead and hates the possibility that he might take the wrong route."

Jonathan Peace, an entrepreneur from Clapham Junction, and Zoe's boyfriend, said: "The app makes it simple to check tube lines statuses on the move so you can be you're taking the best route underground. It's a no brainer and, if men are much more likely to download apps like these, it's clear that men are simply better at seeking out the useful apps than women."

mxData's Tube Map app is currently the sixth most downloaded free travel iPhone app on iTunes and allows users to plan their journey and access live information about the tube network. Now with improved iPad support and new features such as station tagging, sharing and in-app support, Tube Map is downloadable for free on all iPhones, Androids, Nokias, Blackberrys and iPads.

[1] Data taken from June 2010 to May 2011. The remaining were gender unknown.
[2] http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/iphone-dominates-smartphone-os-market-share-13145/nielsen-smartphone-gender-income-june-2010jpg/

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mxData (www.mxdata.co.uk), founded in 2004, is one of the UK's fastest growing mobile companies and is a pioneer in the aggregation and dissemination of rich and dynamic local content to multiple platforms including mobile, internet, sat nav and connected devices. The success of these mobile solutions is underpinned by mxData's key technology enablers: Local Discovery Platform (LDP), MXI, Spacemark and Moverts. mxData's clients range across a number of sectors including mobile network operators, handset manufacturers, the public sector, transport and travel and commercial brands. These include Orange, O2, Nokia, The Automobile Association, Manchester United Football Club and Qype.
mxData's highly successful range of apps include Tube Map and Tube Map Pro, myTrains and the award winning Traffic TV.