iOS users seven times more active than those who settle for Android
“Two numbers from recent surveys on ‘share’ in the smartphone world nicely illustrate the difference between users of the Android and iOS platforms, and act as a reminder to place Android’s market share dominance in perspective,” Ewen Spence reports for Forbes.
“As Android touches 85% of the market share in terms of handset sales, iOS sits at 11.9%,” Spence reports. “Android is just over seven times more prevalent in Q2 2014 than the next-best platform (iOS). Which makes the data from Net Applications on the usage share of the two platforms even more of a contrast.”
“While most mobile advertising networks will allow marketing teams to target all the mobile platforms, anyone looking to target a specific platform, especially developers, should consider these numbers carefully and in context,” Spence reports. “Any survey is going have some margin of error, but the trend of iOS users being more active than Android has been consistent over many studies.”
Net Applications: Q2 2014 Mobile OS Usage
Spence reports, “Not all users are equal; not all handset sales will contribute to a larger audience for your application, advertising campaign, or freemium game title; and targeting the biggest platform will not guarantee you the biggest result.”
a) confused about why they should be choosing an iPhone over an inferior knockoff and therefore might be less prone to understand/explore their devices’ capabilities or trust their devices with credit card info for shopping; and/or
b) enticed with “Buy One Get One Free,” “Buy One, Get Two or More Free,” or similar offers.
Neither type of customer is the cream of the crop when it comes to successful engagement or coveted demographics; closer to the bottom of the barrel than the top, in fact. Android can be widespread and still demographically inferior precisely because of the way in which and to whom Android devices are marketed. Unending BOGO promos attract a seemingly unending stream of cheapskate freetards just as inane, pointless TV commercials about robots or blasting holes in concrete walls attract meatheads and dullards, not exactly the best demographics unless you’re peddling muscle building powders or grease monkey overalls.
Google made a crucial mistake: They gave away Android to “partners” who pushed and continue to push the product into the hands of the exact opposite type of user that Google needs for Android to truly thrive. Hence, Android is a backwater of second-rate, or worse, app versions that are only downloaded when free or ad-supported – but the Android user is notoriously cheap, so the ads don’t sell for much because they don’t work very well. You’d have guessed that Google would have understood this, but you’d have guessed wrong.
Google built a platform that depends heavily on advertising support, but sold it to the very type of customer who’s the least likely to patronize ads.
iOS users are the ones who buy apps, so developers focus on iOS users. iOS users buy products, so accessory makers focus on iOS users. iOS users have money and the proven will to spend it, so vehicle makers focus on iOS users. Etcetera. Android can have the “Hee Haw” demographic. Apple doesn’t want it or need it; it’s far more trouble than it’s worth.
Device Atlas, iOS vs. Android, data usage by country, March 2014:
