iOS 6 Adoption Uptick Due to iPhone 5 Release in China, Not Google Maps?

Thursday December 20, 2012 1:14 pm PST by Jordan Golson

Ad network and analytics firm Chitika claims it has seen no significant increase in iOS 6 adoption in the U.S. and Canada. A company analyst believes the MoPub data (which was international, rather than domestic) we wrote about earlier today was affected by the recent launch of the iPhone 5 in China, rather than the release of Google Maps.

This past weekend, Apple issued a press release bragging that it had sold more than two million iPhone 5 units in China over the first three days of availability.

In the chart above -- which only looks at data from the U.S. and Canada, rather than the international data that MoPub examined -- the iOS 6 adoption slope following the release of Google Maps for iOS remains practically unchanged from before the release, suggesting a sea change in iOS 6 adoption rates resulting from Google Maps release is inaccurate.

Chitika Data Solutions Engineer Gabe Donnini:

Thursday, December 20th marks the first full week of Google Maps' availability in the Apple App Store. To determine the impact of Google Maps on iOS 6 adoption, Chitika Insights conducted a research study analyzing the trend in adoption rates since the applications' release, along with mapping the OS' adoption rates since its debut on September 19th, 2012 for added context. Following Google Maps' release, Chitika Insights observed iOS 6 usage remain fairly flat from midnight on December 13th to midnight on December 17th 2012.

On Monday, Google reported that Google Maps for iOS had been downloaded more than 10 million times.

Top Rated Comments

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rmwebs

101 months ago

Dear god Macrumors either get on the bandwagon or dont.

"its because of Google maps"
"no wait, its because its Christmas"
"no...wait a second, its because of China."

Here's a thought...maybe it's all three.

Or maybe the Mayans wanted to try it out before they kill us :cool:

Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)

NoNothing

Personally...

I know of 2 people including CmdrThor and wife that delayed updating to iOS 6 due to the maps "issue".

SnowLeopard2008

Why would Google Maps drive adoption iOS 6 adoption? It's a cluttered mess of a GUI on Android. They might have better map data than Apple but it's about damn time I, the end user, start seeing it instead of just reading about it. Show, not tell. Apple Maps has a far superior and easier to use GUI and has a significantly larger locations database than Google. Although it falls short in some areas, no GPS system is "perfect". Let's not forget that some people drove into oceans and off cliffs using the same map data provider that Google (and Apple) uses.

Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)

cmChimera

who cares? the adoption rate will be down to zero by tmrw anyway

What you did there. I see it.

RobHague

Google maps wasn't that important :confused: it seems an exaggeration to me that anyone could hold off just based on that. If it was deadly vital you could just go to the mobile site.

I have had zero issues with Apple Maps anyway, I downloaded the new Google Maps but its in a folder for emergencies with other apps like Waze. I was in London a few days ago and decided to give Google Maps a spin when I got lost, and it was giving me confusing directions. Switched to Apple Maps and it was much clearer. How is that for irony?

Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)