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UPDATE (07/1/22): Needless to say, the iPhone has undergone a host of design updates with huge improvements in user experience. This has resulted in a marked increase in market share.
UPDATE (10/17/12): The graph below looks at these numbers in the context of all smartphone usage in the U.S. and Canada seen over our network:
ORIGINAL ARTICLE (10/12/12): Apple and Samsung are unquestionably two of the top players in the smartphone marketplace. Following the release of Apple’s iPhone 5 on September 21st, Chitika Insights was interested in comparing the Web usage rates of the newest phones from both manufacturers. To quantify our latest study, we conducted a user agent analysis on millions of mobile ad impressions, spanning a 7-day time frame from October 3rd through October 9th, 2012. Looking solely at impressions coming from the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III, we were able to observe the difference in Web traffic volume between the two devices, depicted in the figure below:
The Galaxy S III has been available in the U.S. for nearly four months, and posted impressive sales figures – even beating out domestic sales of the iPhone 4S in August 2012. However, only 18 days since the public release of the iPhone 5, the newest Apple device has overtaken the Galaxy S III in terms of Web traffic volume. Record-breaking sales numbers, along with new 4G browsing speeds which encourage data usage, are the most likely explanation for this tremendous growth. This latest shift in the mobile ecosystem is not welcome news for Samsung, which has positioned its device as a direct competitor to the iPhone 5.
While optimizing online content for both devices is still the smart move for businesses targeting mobile consumers, this comparison emphasizes iPhone users still being the most active – and hence marketable – users of the mobile Web.
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