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No, Android did NOT just pass iPhone in mobile web traffic, not even close

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 · 3:58 pm · 32 Comments

Android did just NOT pass the iPhone in Web traffic in the U.S. last month, despite a story on TechCrunch with that assertion as the headline,” Dan Frommer reports or The Business Insider. “Based on recent comScore data, we estimate that iPhone-based web traffic is still at least 2X Android web traffic in the U.S.”

Frommer reports, “So why did TechCrunch get it wrong? The TechCrunch post is based on the latest monthly ad statistics from AdMob, a mobile ad network that’s being acquired by Google. Specifically, one graph in AdMob’s report showed that in March, Android’s percentage of ad requests in AdMob’s network surpassed the iPhone for the first time.

“TechCrunch takes this to mean that Android Web traffic exceeded iPhone Web traffic. “AdMob measures mobile ad impressions, which is a proxy for overall traffic,” TechCrunch’s Leena Rao explains,” Frommer reports. “That’s simply not accurate. While Android’s user base — and Web traffic consumption — is growing and could eventually rival Apple’s, AdMob’s ad request data is NOT a proxy for mobile web usage in general.”

Frommer reports, “iPhone users still outnumber Android users in the U.S. by at least 2 to 1, based on recent comScore data… It is not valid to say that Android passed iPhone in web usage using only AdMob’s ad statistics as evidence.”

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: We’ve said at least as much already here.

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Comment Feed

32 Comments

1 2 Next »

ChrissyOne

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:04 pm · Reply

If you don’t like the Mac news, just wait 5 minutes.
theloniousMac

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:05 pm · Reply

When I read that first blip on my iPad screen (love the new MDN app) I thought, “How is that even possible?” I mean, what are there, 50,000,000 iphones out there and how many Android phones? 2 million at best?
Whateva

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:06 pm · Reply

Not yet anyway, but it’s only a matter of time. When you have 50 models running android and only 1 iPhone, uggg do the math. Hate to be a pessimist, but this is starting to feel like ms v apple all over again. Hope Steve can stem the tide somehow.
MacinScott

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:06 pm · Reply

Still, as much as I want Verizon to suffer, I hope Apple ends the exclusivity with AT&T;and begins selling the next gen iPhone with multiple carriers.

It will absolutely explode like the ipod and reach critical mass at that time, thereby, preventing the copycats from even coming close.
Z

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:07 pm · Reply

Tech Crunch and Gizmodo: a bunch of lying ass dog, unprofessional, click whoring dogs!
MacinScott

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:11 pm · Reply

@Whateva

I agree and I hope Steve is not willing to lose the lead Apple created. No matter how great the iPhone 4G or HD phone is, there will be millions of consumers Apple can’t reach by sticking with AT&T;.

Personally, I want the iPhone to come to Sprint, but the more the merrier.
@Whateva

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:12 pm · Reply

You are assuming each model is just like any other and that consumers will like each equally. Your math is faulty.
Whateva

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:18 pm · Reply

Perhaps. I hope so. But when enough vendors adopt Android there will be a critical mass of confusion. The big 3. iPhone, droid and rim. Apple NEEDS to open to other carriers. It’s a matter of numbers. Like I said, not trying to start a flame war, just hope that Steve has a plan to deal with the barbarians at the gate.
MacinScott

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:19 pm · Reply

Not all smart phones are created equally. Same goes for computers. But Apple actually has the lead right now and this lead is more important because of the App Store, iAd and future Apple plans.

So if Apple can do what they did with the iPod and make it available to everyone, even at the loss of Firewire : ( , then they can enjoy all the benefits that come with market share.

Google is more of a competitor to Apple than MS is right now. Apple can’t afford for “good enough” to win.
Liam H

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:20 pm · Reply

Pash on Lifehacker is spouting the same rubbish too.
steve

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:22 pm · Reply

Oh, I have a plan all right. Don’t you worry.
MacinScott

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:22 pm · Reply

I also hope that Apple wins some of these lawsuits because HTC, RIM, Palm and everyone else’s phones are starting to look a little too much like iPhones these days — with their home screens and pinch to zoom!

That causes marketplace confusion and “good enough” mentality.
MacinScott

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:24 pm · Reply

Sweep the legs!
Whateva

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:28 pm · Reply

I guess the thing that bothers me is this: with all the vendors continually adding features to new phones every 3 to 6 months, how can apple compete with hardware when they can only release new hardware once a year. People would be pissed if they released a new phone every six months to compete with whatever come out next. I.e, better screen, camera etc.

I know a lot of that is just marketing, but a lot of people don’t. A lot of people do look at specs.

For example: iPhone 4 comes out (hardware). 3 months later a vendor will come out with something with equal or better specs (on paper at least). Now apple has 9 months give or take to leapfrog what might be out then. See my point? The life cycle is too long to compete long term unless they bump it up.
Amazin1

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:38 pm · Reply

Who cares if Android phones surpass iPhones? That does not make Android phones better. It just means there are more fools in the world than we want to admit.
ChrissyOne

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:41 pm · Reply

@ Whateva

Yeah, clearly this has been a big problem for Apple.
DRMSSDB

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:45 pm · Reply

I totally agree – only “at least 2 to 1″?
therealspike

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 4:59 pm · Reply

VIDEO WITH AUDIO AUTO PLAY?

WTF

MDN on its way down? Or losing control over their advertising.

Shame.
Ludor

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 5:03 pm · Reply

Whateva: Well… possibly it’s just a rather vocal minority (geeks) that look at the tech specs. Or should that read, look *through* their tech specs (as in eyewear)? Sorry, I’m incoherent.

C1: Ow.
android guy

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 5:03 pm · Reply

I like how if you support Android you’re a “barbarian.” Its as simple as this–if you dont want an Android phone dont buy one. But I think its more than a bit unfair to allude to saying that Apple basically came up with the idea of the mobile os. There were good mobile os’s before Apple, and there will be good ones after they and Google are gone.

Competition to drives innovation–not blind consumerism. That being said if you enjoy the iPhone more power to you. But you shouldnt lay claim to the invention of an entire platform when the smartphone as a product had been out for years. Did Apple improve mobile? Yes, but they did not invent it.
aka Christian

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 5:12 pm · Reply

@Whateva

Apple can update phones with software in addition to hardware, if they choose to, and they have. My 3G has more functionality than it did when I bought it in November of ’08.

Regarding Android’s platform, there are issues. My friend has a Droid, and can’t keep the thing charged. She keeps it on a charger at home and on the road, and STILL can’t play you a song on it because the background apps have sucked the battery to zero in no time.

Additionally, the profusion and confusion of Android versions on a plethora of phone models will continue to put people off. Certain phones won’t run certain versions of the o.s. or certain apps. Google doesn’t have much of a plan here.
Whateva

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 5:17 pm · Reply

Ummm, did I say in any of my posts that Apple invented the platform. No.

Not bagging on android at all. The more the merrier, just saying that apple needs to stay current if they want to be relevent. Is that wrong?
Davewrite

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 6:11 pm · Reply

I’m not saying that Android might not be significant threat to Apple but too many people are simply concluding it’s going to be Mac vs PC all over again.

For all we know the story might follow these other examples:

1) Remember there were a mass of WinMo OEMs making phones as well. It resulted in the DEATH of WinMo. Msft had to come up with Win Ph 7 which in many ways copies iPhone (right up to the no copy paste, no multitasking in the first edition ) WP7 has much tighter rules for OEMs and developers than Android due to WinMo fragmentation, bug etc issues. Maybe Msft knows something after WinMo collapse that Google doesn’t?.

2) All the many iPod rivals from iRiver, Sandisk, Sony, Samsung, Zune did not dethrone iPod in spite of the fact Sony etc are bloody big competitors.

3) Many of the the iTunes ‘killers’ faded or went bankrupt.

The advantages of the iPhone Android confrontation is hardly all in Android’s favor:

1) Google is not making as much profit as might be assumed as OEMs load Bing Yahoo and their own apps onto phones (e.g: Moto Backflip)

2) Apple today is a mucking big company. HTC for example has a net profit around 150 m per quarter, Apple has 3000m plus.

3) IPhone OS has a huge installed base, often people forget iPod Touch. The iPod Touch is Apple’s stealth device training kids and others in the iPhone OS for possibly migrating to the iPad or iPhone. (I suspect iPod touch’s low price precludes many rivals from entering into competition. Apple can subsidize the price with Apps, music etc sales).

4) Android suffers fragmentation and ferocious competition among the Android phone makers e.g Nexus one casualty in Verizon. If they can’t make a profit Android phone makers like iPod clones will drop like flies. Verizon Motorola spent $100 m the Droid launch ad campaign and only sold only a few hundred thousand during the launch weeks. Not many phone makers can survive on that kind of marketing costs vs sales (no wonder after spending so much moolah on Droid Verizon is begging off Nexus)
Remember the mass of iPod rivals that faded away when they couldn’t make money.

5) some manufacturers for example Acer are already stumped by Apple eco-sytem advantage. Acer President Lin on why he won’t compete with iPad: “Apple is able to support the iPad through its iTunes ecosystem, while few other makers, including Acer, have comparable experience in operating an online store… Apple could see success with devices like the iPad, other players are unlikely to be able to replicate its result simply by copying”.

The issue is of course more complicated than what I’ve covered and Android is a big threat but maybe not as big as some might think.
praus

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 6:49 pm · Reply

@android guy
“There were good mobile os’s before Apple”
No there weren’t. Thats got to be one of the stupidest comments I’ve ever read on here.

There were mobile OSs before iPhone OS. There were not “good” mobile OSs. I’ve seen android it’s a POS.
me

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 7:31 pm · Reply

“I’ve seen android it’s a POS.”

And thats one of the stupidest fanboy comments I’ve seen here.

As MDN is fond of saying with Windows vs OSX “it’s not the absolute value that matters but the trend”.

iPhone is going to be steamrolled by Android. Why do you think Apple is looking for alternative revenue streams with iPad and iAds.