iPhone and iPad Dominate Mobile Web Share Throughout Holidays

Apple's iPhone was the only smartphone to gain mobile web traffic share in North America during the holidays, according to a new report from analytics firm Chitika, suggesting that the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c were popular with consumers over the holiday season.

The iPhone saw a 1.8 percent jump in web traffic from the period between December 20 and December 29, while other smartphone manufacturers experienced no gains or a slight loss in traffic share. Overall, the iPhone has a 54.3 percent share of total mobile web traffic, far above its closest competitor Samsung, which has a 23.7 percent share.

chitikasmartphones2014
Despite its minor share loss, the iPad remains the most popular tablet, comprising 76.1 percent of all mobile web traffic in North America. Apple's closest competitor, Amazon, has a 9.4 percent share, while Microsoft and Samsung come in at 2.3 and 5.9 percent.

chitikatablets2014

Mobile web traffic usage numbers have changed little over the course of the last year, with iOS devices continuing to dominate Android devices. In a report from late 2012, Chitika noted that iOS had an overall usage share of 67 percent, while Android had a 33 percent share.

Apple's mobile web traffic dominance was also confirmed by a recent report from IBM, indicating the majority of online shopping from mobile devices during the Christmas holiday was done by iOS users rather than Android users. 23 percent of total online sales on Christmas in the U.S. were made from iOS devices, while just 4.6 percent were made from Android devices.

To gather its data, Chitika used its Chitika network ad impressions, analyzing data from millions of smartphone and tablet users in both the United States and Canada. An ad impression was measured each time an individual user loaded a page containing Chitika ad code, giving an impression of overall web usage rather than a measurement of unique users.

Top Rated Comments

Xenomorph Avatar
134 months ago
it is always amazing that although Android continues to lead in number of devices sold, the web traffic share is so skewed towards iOS. Good for Apple.

Have you ever done anything on an Android device? Most web browsers are a pain to use, with terrible zoom and laggy scrolling. I usually try to find a dedicated app for everything to avoid using the web browser.

iOS devices are a treat to use, so just "doing stuff" is in itself a reward.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
134 months ago
it is always amazing that although Android continues to lead in number of devices sold, the web traffic share is so skewed towards iOS. Good for Apple.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Macist Avatar
134 months ago
People buy iPhones because they want a smartphone they'll use the hell out of.

SOME people buy Android as a top-end smartphone but many just get them because the phone on some cheap deal just happened to be Android.

With Tablets it's even worse: 'Wow, I got this Android tablet - it was so much cheaper than iPad!'. Five minutes later it's shoved in the junk drawer while people are using their iPads to death.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Renzatic Avatar
134 months ago
What does this actually mean? More so, what significance does this have?

It means the vast majority of people messing around the internet with their mobile phones are doing so on Apple hardware.

And the significance? I guess it means if you're on an Android phone, you're not using the internet all that much. I have no idea why.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TWSS37 Avatar
134 months ago
Have you ever done anything on an Android device? Most web browsers are a pain to use, with terrible zoom and laggy scrolling. I usually try to find a dedicated app for everything to avoid using the web browser.

iOS devices are a treat to use, so just "doing stuff" is in itself a reward.

Have you? Chrome on Android is about as flawless a mobile browser as you could ask for.

As to your last comment... wow.

----------

People buy iPhones because they want a smartphone they'll use the hell out of.

SOME people buy Android as a top-end smartphone but many just get them because the phone on some cheap deal just happened to be Android.

With Tablets it's even worse: 'Wow, I got this Android tablet - it was no much cheaper than iPad!'. Five minutes later it's shoved in the junk drawer while people are using their iPads to death.

Has anyone said this in reality or do we just regurgitate what we read on fan sites? Anyone I have ever known who has used a Nexus tablet device has been nothing but completely satisfied with it.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
a.coward Avatar
134 months ago
Ad Blocking Software

Seeing the numbers are based on ad impressions, I wonder how much
of an impact the availability of ad blocking plugins (e.g Adblock Plus)
on Android devices running Chrome has on the numbers.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18 Will Finally Bring This Android Feature to iPhone

Monday March 25, 2024 6:42 am PDT by
iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid, according to sources familiar with development of the software update. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, our sources said that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18....
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
iphone reasons to upgrade

Apple Outlines 'Reasons to Upgrade' Your iPhone on New Website

Monday March 25, 2024 12:53 pm PDT by
Apple today added a "Why Upgrade" section to its website, which is aimed at encouraging customers with older iPhones to upgrade to a newer model. The website allows customers to compare the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max to the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max. Each comparison shows what new features someone with an older...