Akamai: Mobile Safari was dominant mobile browser in Q3 2012, trailed Android's cellular data share

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
In its latest "State of the Internet Report" released on Monday, web content delivery firm Akamai found that Apple's Mobile Safari accounted for about 60 percent of mobile browser usage across its networks, but trailed Android devices connecting to the internet using cellular data.

Mobile Safari


According to Akamai, during the third quarter of 2012 there were more Google Android Webkit browser users accessing content over cellular data networks than those using Apple's Safari. However, by expanding the data to include all networks, not just those designated as "cellular," Safari was shown to have dominated the mobile browser market with slightly more than a 60 percent share. Using this same scope, Android users accounted for about 22 to 23 percent of the total.

It should be noted that the data set, which can be viewed on the new "Akamai IO" analytics site, comes from several hundred "top-tier" sites that delver content through Akamai's services, most of which are U.S.-centric. The resulting information is therefore skewed toward U.S. users.

The findings are consistent with previous Akamai studies that found Android handset owners accounted for the largest percentage of mobile browser requests over cellular, with the Webkit responsible for 37.6 percent of requests. Apple's Mobile Safari was close behind, with a 35.7 percent share. Following the top two browsers were Opera Mini, RIM's BlackBerry-dedicated browser and Microsoft's Mobile Explorer, which accounted for roughly 20 percent, 4.2 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively.

Akamai Cellular
Source: Akamai


Apple's iOS devices once again took to the top spot in overall mobile browser share when considering traffic from all networks, including but not limited to Wi-Fi, and accounted for a 60.1 percent average throughout the quarter ending in September 2012. The Android Webkit generated 23.1 percent of requests, followed by Mobile Explorer's 9.3 percent share. Opera Mini teetered at an average just below 5 percent for the quarter.

Akamai Cellular


Additional data provided Akamai IO (Akamai Internet Observatory) showed that Mobile Safari, Android and Mobile Explorer were consistently responsible for over 5 percent of requests across all Akamai networks for quarter three.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 54
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    So why aren't Android-based devices using WiFI as much?
  • Reply 2 of 54
    solipsismx wrote: »
    So why aren't Android-based devices using WiFI as much?
    Android-device owners can't afford a wifi-router and high-speed Internet?
  • Reply 3 of 54
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    ifij775 wrote: »
    Android-device owners can't afford a wifi-router and Internet?

    They don't connect to WiFi as easily or seamlessly as iOS?

    I can't figure it out. It's such a huge disparity, too.
  • Reply 4 of 54
    solipsismx wrote: »
    They don't connect to WiFi as easily or seamlessly as iOS?

    I can't figure it out. It's such a huge disparity, too.
    Finally figured it out. They're all homeless
  • Reply 5 of 54
    malaxmalax Posts: 1,598member


    Maybe iOS users are more likely to surf at home using an iPhone or iPad whereas Android people are more likely to hop on a laptop (which makes sense since the iPad is the dominant tablet).

  • Reply 6 of 54
    If it's mostly US users, and Apple dominates in the US why is this surprising?
  • Reply 7 of 54
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    ifij775 wrote: »
    Finally figured it out. They're all homeless

    The homeless seem to all have smartphones and notebooks these days but they also seem to hang out at coffee shops. Or maybe those are hipsters; I can't tell the difference. :p

    malax wrote: »
    Maybe iOS users are more likely to surf at home using an iPhone or iPad whereas Android people are more likely to hop on a laptop (which makes sense since the iPad is the dominant tablet).

    I think you have hit on it. This is measuring mobile Safari and there are iPod Touches and iPads which make up a huge number of iOS devices. Even the iPads that are sold with cellular might mostly be used on WiFi with cellular being used in rare bursts.

    tkell31 wrote: »
    If it's mostly US users, and Apple dominates in the US why is this surprising?

    But wouldn't US cellular and US WiFi still be represented?
  • Reply 8 of 54

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    So why aren't Android-based devices using WiFI as much?


    iPad, iPod Touch, and Old iPhones being used as an iPod touch.

  • Reply 9 of 54


    I think it's as simple as LTE.  Many Android users are still grandfathered into unlimited LTE on Verizon, and LTE is much faster than your average wifi.  Even ignoring the unlimited high-speed data, there are far more LTE Android phones than LTE iPhones, so that means more Android users are likely to prefer cellular data.

  • Reply 10 of 54
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    I think it's as simple as LTE.  Many Android users are still grandfathered into unlimited LTE on Verizon, and LTE is much faster than your average wifi.  Even ignoring the unlimited high-speed data, there are far more LTE Android phones than LTE iPhones, so that means more Android users are likely to prefer cellular data.

    1) How well did LTE Android-based phones sell compared to non-LTE Android-based phones?

    2) The iPhone 5 might be the first LTE iPhone but Apple has said previously that the newest iPhone outsells all the previous iPhones combined. Based on total that could still be happening. In either case there are a lot of LTE iPhone out there now.

    3) LTE might be faster than a lot of internet connections attached via WiFi but that doesn't mean anything when a webpage takes a handful of seconds of load on either and a webpage takes some time to read or watch. It certainly doesn't account for the difference.

    4) If Android phones had WiFi why aren't they being counted in this? AT&T had unlimited as does Sprint today and '3G', at least with AT&T, is often much faster than the internet connection for WiFi and, at least withAT&T, was faster than what Android-based phones with early LTE chips could offer.
  • Reply 11 of 54
    I'd say that many people are using grandfathered unlimited data and don't bother to connect to wifi.

    In my small world sample which is mostly iphone users, the early adopters all have grandfathered unlimited plans but many use wifi to AirPlay to a home stereo via Airport Express or AppleTV. I don't know any android users connecting to wifi to stream music or video to DLNA or whatever standard is called, because they have never heard of that standard.

    Also, out of the android users I know, only 1 is a tech nerd. The rest had their cable/dsl installer (or friend like me) setup their wifi. They wrote the password down put it in a drawer and haven't thought about it in years.

    I guess I'm trying to explain that while android has a huge market share, the majority are not tech nerds, neither are iOS users or the average computer user either. I think using an apple router with iOS alleviated some of this but not all.

    Most android users (non tech nerds like us) with unlimited plans have no incentive to connect via wifi. They can't easily do something like AirPlay or stream music or video to their device from iTunes.

    Do this make sense?
  • Reply 12 of 54

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    They don't connect to WiFi as easily or seamlessly as iOS?



    I can't figure it out. It's such a huge disparity, too.


    They connect to Wifi the same as iOS. I used an HTC EVO when it first came out for a while. I didn't use the internet as much because the browser was painful to use. Even third party browsers like Dolphin HD just plan sucked. Also using Wifi but even more so 4G sucks the life out of the battery.


     


    Not sure if it is still that way but certainly why my Android trial was short lived.

  • Reply 13 of 54

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ifij775 View Post





    Finally figured it out. They're all homeless


    Two stupid comments before ten posts.

  • Reply 14 of 54
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Two stupid comments before ten posts.

    He was making a joke. At the expense of Android users but it wasn't hostile and I detect no hostility in his comment. Now if Apple ][ made a joke like that it would probably read quite different.

    I think the best method would have come back with a clever retort. How about: "Maybe iPhone users are always on WiFi because they're so accustomed to their protected environment that they are afraid to even leave their house."
  • Reply 15 of 54
    Hey Folks,

    The real reason why Android devices use cellular data more is because Android is flawed. Even if wi-fi is available, Android does not switch to it automatically. People end up paying for cellular data when they shouldn't have to. Users must choose which network to use, cellular or wi-fi.

    On the other hand, iOS always favor Wi-Fi if it is available. Cellular data is shut off when Wi-Fi is available. Thank you Apple for keeping our data bill down.
  • Reply 16 of 54
    sensisensi Posts: 346member
    @ Spacepower
    Non-nerd people would also use the rather ubiquitous and straightforward Bluetooth to stream music.

    @ KDMeister
    Any source to support your wild allegation? I won't hold my breath.
  • Reply 17 of 54
    Two stupid comments before ten posts.
    It's late, so sue me
  • Reply 18 of 54
    solipsismx wrote: »
    He was making a joke. At the expense of Android users but it wasn't hostile and I detect no hostility in his comment. Now if Apple ][ made a joke like that it would probably read quite different.

    I think the best method would have come back with a clever retort. How about: "Maybe iPhone users are always on WiFi because they're so accustomed to their protected environment that they are afraid to even leave their house."
    I am admittedly curious about this, and my real guess is that Android users use a PC at home as opposed to an ipad at least in first-world countries. Actually in most of the world, a mobile phone is their only computing device. This likely explains the data in developing nations
  • Reply 19 of 54
    archarch Posts: 66member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by malax View Post


    Maybe iOS users are more likely to surf at home using an iPhone or iPad whereas Android people are more likely to hop on a laptop (which makes sense since the iPad is the dominant tablet).



    Exactly. When Android customers come at home, they would rather use their laptop for a better experience while iOS user are fine with sticking to their mobile devices as they are good enough. 

  • Reply 20 of 54
    arch wrote: »
    Exactly. When Android customers come at home, they would rather use their laptop for a better experience while iOS user are fine with sticking to their mobile devices as they are good enough. 

    Bingo. I'm at home, I'm actually sitting in front of my work laptop, and yet I'd rather grab my iPhone to do just about everything, including tapping out this message.
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