We all know the overall numbers favor Android, but why is iOS usage so much higher for both web browsing and things like shopping?

These numbers make little sense to me, unless:

a) Many people are just using Android as a dumb phone

b) Android browsers don't properly identify themselves (i.e. Chrome for Android doesn't identify properly as such).

c) Some combination of both

Even if the browsing experience isn't as good on Android as iOS, it's hardly undiscoverable or unusable. So either people don't care to use it, or are using it and aren't being counted. Or both.

Yeah Rene, as I wrote earlier, my father (yes, an Android user) is clearly in Camp A.

I know many people like that as well, MG. They're done with their Nokia or Samsung candy bar and simply get sold whatever cheap Android phone the carrier is pushing. They're not smartphone users in the traditional sense.

If an OS is popular, but no on is using its features, does it really own marketshare? (If a large percentage aren't using the web or apps, should it still be considered a high-level target?)

I know that I personally have always thought that Android marketshare is overhyped due to the fact that it seems most users don't use key functionality of a smartphone. I don't buy the argument that Rene brought up in letter b. You would think that Google would be smart enough to make sure Chrome for Android registered as Android browsing. I think that most use it as a dumb phone, so the fact that Android had activated 500 million devices is not very big news. I think it is also telling that the majority of the platform is still on 2.3. I believe this is because most bought underpowered phones that can only be used as dumb phones. I think that the devices that are running 4.0-4.2 are the only truly non dumb phones (with a few exceptions).

I think this is also a reason why this is a market that Apple is not particularly interested in. The fact that people purchase a phone running a smartphone OS but don't utilize it fully means that those customers will never purchase an iPhone (or at least, are less likely). This, in addition to the number of devices STILL on 2.3 makes me not surprised about the web usage statistics. It is about what I expected since Android is so fragmented and most use it as dumb phones. Thoughts?

Following up on my previous thought, do you guys think that Chrome is not registered as an Android browser? Seems extremly odd to me seeing as Google would probably want their share of mobile browsing to go up in the published statistics.

The pool of Android users is so varied it's difficult to categorize them anymore. I wonder if iOS users are just more comfortable purchasing stuff online? Most iOS users I know have purchased music, apps and video on the iPhone or iPad. They are comfortable with their phones and iTunes and the App Store are a major reason for that confidence. What others see as Apple's iron fist, customer see as Apple looking out for them.

A few friends have tried to download a popular game from Google Play only to find out they bought a knock-off. If you're been burned even once you're probably less likely to feel comfortable buying anything with your phone, even when it's perfectly safe to do so

I liken the App Store to a bank whose policies and attitude I don't necessarily agree with. But I feel safe putting my money there.

Brett--
I agree that people will be more comfortable buying in the platform specific stores, but through a web browser, if it is a good one, I feel is a much more different story. I think consumers know the different between an app market/store and the web browser. I don't think that is an full explanation for why there are fewer people using the web on Android.

HK, I agree with you. It really shouldn't matter. But for people like my dad, it's all one big ball of confusion, whether it's in the App Store, the Target app or web browser.

Brett, I can see where that makes sense in terms of purchasing online. However, there have also been studies that show that iOS is ahead in general web usage: wallstreetpit.com
I think that this shows that the problem is not just with purchasing on those devices.

The elephant in the room: people who choose iOS devices are better customers than people who choose Android. Or inverted: iOS (and iOS devices) are designed to attract better customers.

I think the reason many shy from stating this bluntly is that "better customers" sounds dangerously close to "better people". But there's no reason to tip-toe around this. There's no hypocrisy in believing that all men are created equal, but all customers are not.

John--
I also completely agree with you on this. People who purchase an iOS device seem to usually keep up with the latest things they can purchase which, I think, causes more online shopping. I definitely think that iOS consumers are generally a bit smarter in how they use their devices. It is frankly quite obvious to see if you look at the app ecosystem.
I think John said it best. iOS customers usually are better customers who are knowledgable about the products they are using and they fully utilize the capabilities of the device.

Yeah, the "better customers" element is an important and fascinating element of this. It *seems* related to the paid app problem Android was having as well. The talk and/or excuse for a long time was this was more about Android's awful payment infrastructure (or complete lack thereof for a bit). I wonder what more recent numbers suggest...

Until I owned an iPhone I carried the owners manual with me. iOS devices are designed to expose the basic functionality simply and clearly. That results in confidence. Does iOS make me a better customer or was I already a good customer to begin with? ;-)

You were a good customer for buying an iOS device and became a better customer through owning it.

John, I think your argument about better customers is a bit one-dimensional. Maybe you could argue usage is corollary in customer quality, but certainly not causal.

I think can all agree the numbers suggest Android is not a sales-rich environment for developers. But that doesn't seem to matter much for Android; clearly Google Play being a less than stellar place to sell your app isn't impeding the size of the catalogue, nor is it impeding wild growth of the platform.

Also consider that last we heard, Apple runs the App Store at roughly break-even. If mobile software isn't making Apple or Google much money (granted, for different reasons), then wouldn't a "good customer" in the cellphone world just be anyone who buys your phone?

The problem with Android is that most of the devices are dumb phones. The catalogue is growing, but the quality of apps (at least what I have seen) tends to be less, and there are more free apps than paid. However, this is still mostly irreverent due to the fact that most of the devices are running 2.3 and are underpowered. This means that developers have to weaken their apps to target most users, or build their app for customers on 4.0 and above, lessening the availability. I think that people who buy the dumb phones (as there are still phones coming out with 2.3) are not "good customers." And since the majority are on 2.3, there are fewer "good customers" on Android than on iOS.

Ryan, if all customers were of equal or even near-equal value, then Android handset makers (in the aggregate) would be making more money than Apple. And they'd be using the web from their devices in proportion to market share numbers.

The only other explanation I can think of for the usage/engagement disparity is that iOS is so much better designed and engineered than Android that Android users can't figure out or won't bother to use their devices as much as iOS users do. And so even then it suggests Android customers are worse insofar as they chose an inferior product.

I don't think this discrepancy is a difficult problem to understand. It's just that the answers are unpleasant.

For me, its the mindset of the sweetspot of users. When I use an Android device, it's simplifying the "business" things that I do. Checking email, farting around on social networks and such. Yeah, I'll play a game on the Nexus 7, but I only buy things from the Google Play store. I can see, and have watched, more consumer oriented iOS users who identify themselves personally with their device, feel safe making decisions like purchasing on said device. It's early for Android. Ballmer says its a cesspool basically....and people react.

What is so amazing about Apple? - Android is cool. And it's becoming mature over the years. However in iOS vs Android arguments. My sole argument is, I am impressed by the fact, that Apple is able to sell so many more "higher end" products in massive numbers than any of its competitor. Android has a lot of devices on the market. But some of the Android devices even cost $50.

However Mac OSX or iOS is only available on "higher end" products, and selling higher-end products in such a massive number is the real trick that Apple has mastered. You do not win the heart of a customer who has a buying power of $500+ for a mobile and $1500+ for a PC without pulling this trick.

re Chrome and Android, the Android Chrome user-agent does indicate that it is Android.
developers.google.com

The numbers of Chrome users are still very low, probably due to the same reasons web usage and purchasing numbers are lower for Android: The power users are in the minority of android users and the majority of Android users don't use their devices to their full extent.

For what it's worth, our traffic numbers are closer to 50%: we see about 55% of our mobile traffic from iOS, the rest from Android. The actual purchasing numbers are nowhere near that close and, for our business, that is what matters.

@sirs I am pretty amazed to learn that your business gets 50% traffic from Android. I was running a Photography/Digital Art related website 6 months back, with over 1 Million visits per month. It was all iPad-iPhone-iPod Touch dominating the 75%+ share of the mobile traffic. There was barely any traffic from android tablets. Mostly from Samsung and Sony Ericsson Android Phones that I think, accounted for 15% or so and rest were other devices.

If your business sees 50% traffic from Android may I know what it is related to? Because I doubt a "general" purpose website would attract so much traffic from Android devices.

The numbers from Akamai's Internet Observatory show a really interesting split...

In cellular data terms iOS and Android are neck-and-neck - akamai.com

But in non-cellular terms iOS is miles ahead -akamai.com

Maybe the variation's due to the huge number of WiFi only iOS devices that are out there, and relatively few Android tablets / iPod Touch equivalents, or maybe there are demographic factors as mentioned above at play.

@andy I guess it makes sense. All of the android devices including those priced at $50 are internet enabled. Being internet enabled, I guess people make a quick search or like that on the go. And this is the maximum of the Internet usage I can see on those devices.

The reason why iOS dominates Wi-Fi, because I can't think of "higher end" device user who does not have wi-fi at home/office. This also proves the point, that Higher-End users prefer Apple devices, because they are more into experiencing internet on their mobile devices, than doing merely a quick search or checking emails/SMS. and Most of that takes place on Wifi.

Apple sells to more than just higher end consumers. They are selling to many, including people who are poor. I don't think that a reason why WiFi networks have more iOS usage is because all the users are high end.

@loyals
The mobile site I used to check our stats is an adult video site. 6 months back your numbers were different but so were ours. iOS was around 61% at that time. Then, and now, Android tablets were a tiny portion of our userbase.
But again, what matters to us is paying customers, not visitors, we are not supported by ads. The breakdown of iOS vs Android customers is VERY different than the visitor breakdown.