Only 16 percent of Americans over the age of 13 are using devices besides their home computers to download software apps, music, video, and other entertainment content from the Internet, according to a new report by The NPD Group.

The report found three-quarters (75%) of iPhone and iPod Touch users are connecting to the Internet to download entertainment content and apps, compared to 19 percent of game console users and 17 percent of Blu-ray Disc (BD) set-top users.

"It’s not surprising that Apple users are ahead of others when it comes to downloading Web-based content, given the breadth of the company’s app catalog and the head start iTunes had selling music for the iPod," said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD.

"Like other groups of early adopters, consumers downloading entertainment content are mostly younger and male; however, as app stores expand beyond Apple, as connected devices become more commonplace, and as connectivity is simplified we expect to see more activity on other devices and platforms."

Among iPhone and iPod Touch users who downloaded content, free apps were the most popular download category, followed by video-game apps, and music downloads. Among consumers who connected via game consoles, game add-ons were the most popular category, followed by purchased downloads of games, and movie rentals.

"Music now competes with games and other apps for share of device, share of wallet, and share of time," Crupnick said. 

"Entertainment companies need to start to thinking of apps in broader terms, not only as a way of garnering direct sales from downloads, but also as a pathway to paying for additional entertainment content. For example, an app that reviews movies could also be a direct channel for purchasing DVDs, BDs, or digital forms of video."