A study of click patterns by link-shortening service Bit.ly illustrates a distinct difference in usage between iPads and other types of devices, including smartphones and traditional computers.
hilary hour
The general curve of most of the usage lines follows the general traffic flow of larger websites. Very little traffic at night, with a steep rise as the work day starts with a peak in the mid-afternoon, then a drop-off as people begin to leave work. Smartphone and desktop browser usage are fairly similar.

iPad use, on the other hand, is dramatically different. Usage dips slightly after breakfast and remains below the other devices throughout most of the day, until the evening. Then it spikes much later in the evening.

hilary ipad week
Bitly researcher Brian David Eoff:

During the weekends iPad usage between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. is higher than it is during the week at those same hours. No other device sees a heavy increase of use during the weekends, showing that the iPad is used as an entertainment device and differs from both smartphones and browsers.

Bitly also looked at the types of data consumed, but didn't see any drastic differences in behavior there. The most striking differences are in the times of use. Eoff believes it's because the iPad is "used as an entertainment device" more than both smartphones and browsers.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

Rodimus Prime Avatar
182 months ago
Technology becoming more personal and intimate as the Post-PC era develops. Nice to see.
How is this more of the Post PC era BS. All it tells me is people are willing to use their iPad are more likely to be used in bed or when people are relaxing in bed.

Boy I bet if you look at lets say kindle usage pattern it would have a very similar spike in the evening as well.

To me I find it interesting and tells you that the iPad is replacing other devices for relaxing in the evening after work. It is not an items that sits at a desk where get more real work done.

Honestly I find the graph rather interesting to look at over all to see how different devices break down. Look at the blackberry earlier in the house and then come 5-6am you see all the smart phone OS jump above everything else. That tells you that first thing people do in the morning is grab their phone and check their email.
During the day seeing Android keep up with the desktop OS I find is intersting as well and kind of wondering why that is.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
deannnnn Avatar
182 months ago
Interesting. On lazy days for me I do tend to transition from my Mac to my iPad as it gets later so that I can use it from bed.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nwcs Avatar
182 months ago
A key takeaway is that this is measuring web traffic. It cannot measure what people are doing with these devices when NOT surfing. Therefore any meaningful conclusions cannot be made. It's interesting in how it related to web traffic only. And I'd say a subset of traffic at that considering the source of the data.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdowns Avatar
182 months ago
Are you high?

You are clearly out of touch if you think post pc era is even remotely approaching.


Post PC doesn't mean no PCs. You're out of touch if you don't think it is.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
whooleytoo Avatar
182 months ago
Since the days of people relaxing in bed with their iMac were.... well, never, you seem to have answered your own question.

Wat? You don't have an iMac in your bed? What have you got against iMacs? ;)

Since the shift from desktops to laptops, I think a lot of people would use laptops in bed. It's not a huuuge shift to using an iPad.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
*LTD* Avatar
182 months ago

Because the Galaxy has a full fledged file system like a computer, I use mine to carry work and personal files.
We've been doing this with our iPhones for the last couple of years.

Because it handles .PDF files so well, and has a larger more easily used display, I can do things such as edit files, create & review files, and other tasks while away from my desk, or while waiting at the airport, etc.
As above.

Apps have their own file systems, or you can use a file manager of your choice (i.e. GoodReader or iFiles as a central location) from which you can migrate files from app to app and then save them within the particular app's own filesystem if you like. One can do any number of things with a single file this way.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Preparing to Launch Long-Awaited Lossless Audio Tier on iPhone

Thursday June 19, 2025 1:46 pm PDT by
Spotify appears to be gearing up to launch its long-awaited lossless music tier. Chris Messina (via TechCrunch) and Spicetify (via The Verge) spotted new lossless references within the code for Spotify's desktop app and web player. With assistance from Aaron Perris, MacRumors has confirmed that the latest beta of the Spotify app for the iPhone also contains new lossless-related code....
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...
Craig Federighi No

John Gruber Reacts to Apple Declining His Interview After His Criticism

Wednesday June 18, 2025 8:10 pm PDT by
Every year between 2015 and 2024, at least one Apple executive agreed to be interviewed by Daring Fireball's John Gruber for a special WWDC episode of his podcast, The Talk Show. Last year, for example, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and top AI researcher John Giannandrea joined Gruber on stage at the California Theatre in San Jose to discuss...