# Web usage: iOS widens its lead on strong iPhone 4S sales, Android finally overtakes Java ME



## Kid_Eternity (Nov 1, 2011)

Wow that's some impressive chart!









> The numbers show Apple’s platform increasing its web usage share, in spite of the reports describing the ongoing Android march and its ever-growing market share. According to Net Applications, web usage share for iOS devices has risen by seven percentage points to 61.64 percent share in the month of October. At the same time, Android grabbed just shy of one-fifth (18.9 percent, up from 16.9 percent) of web usage share.
> 
> The rise of iOS comes amid the October 14 launch of iPhone 4S, which sold four million units at launch and is in stark contrast with a modest growth in September. Interestingly, October also marks a milestone for Android, which for the first time recorded greater usage share than Java ME devices, which fell 12.84 percent from 18.52 percent.


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## elbows (Nov 1, 2011)

I dont understand why Android remains so low on this benchmark. Are android users just not surfing much or are iOS users obsessive mobile web-surfers or what?


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 1, 2011)

elbows said:


> I dont understand why Android remains so low on this benchmark. Are android users just not surfing much or are iOS users obsessive mobile web-surfers or what?



The only things I can see is that this is all iOS and all Android which means its iPhone, iPod touch and iPad combined against all Android phones and the tablets. Even then it still looks a little odd to me...


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## Kanda (Nov 1, 2011)

elbows said:


> Are android users just not surfing much or are iOS users obsessive mobile web-surfers or what?



This is my experience of the very small (30-40) group of people I know with both.


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 1, 2011)

Odd. You'd think they'd be about the same...


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## editor (Nov 1, 2011)

And yet...



> *Android outselling iPhone by two to one in the UK*
> Android is outselling Apple's iOS platform two to one in the UK, also trouncing BlackBerry when it comes to smart phone sales, according to a new survey.
> 
> The study, conducted by the oddly named Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, reveals that nearly half (49.9 per cent) of smart phones sold in Britain are Android devices. The iPhone, by comparison, has a much smaller 18.5 per cent share of the mobile market, with BlackBerry pipping it on 22.5 per cent.
> ...





> *Samsung overtakes Apple in global smartphone shipments*
> Samsung has overtaken Apple in worldwide smartphone shipments after Apple suffered its lowest levels of shipments in two years, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.
> 
> Global smartphone shipments grew 44% year-on-year to reach a record 117 million units in the third quarter of 2011, said the survey. Samsung shipped 28 million smartphones, grabbing 24% market share and overtaking Apple.
> http://www.computerweekly.com/Artic...akes-Apple-in-global-smartphone-shipments.htm


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## editor (Nov 1, 2011)

And from a slightly more well known stats firm - the same title, but reversed!

*comScore: Android widens its lead on iOS in the US*
http://www.gsmarena.com/comscore_android_widens_its_lead_on_ios_in_the_us-news-3236.php

Their figures bear no correlation with the ones in the OP. In fact, I don't think any others do.


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## Kanda (Nov 1, 2011)

... yes, but we know that. That's why that chart is quite interesting... !!

This isn't a thread about who has sold more lately, we know that...

The thread is about web usage. Please keep up, don't derail.


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## editor (Nov 1, 2011)

Well, here's another set of figures that directly contradict the figures in the OP - and once again, they're from a more well known firm. And the graphs are prettier.:


> *Android Leads in U.S. Smartphone Market Share and Data Usage*
> 
> But while a higher proportion of iPhone owners engage in these kinds of activities, consumers with Android devices who engage in these activities consume more data on average. An analysis of nearly 65,000 cellphone bills in the U.S. reveals that in the first quarter of 2011, Android smartphone owners consumed an average of 582 MB of data each month, compared to 492 MB for iPhone owners.
> http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/?p=27793


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## Kanda (Nov 1, 2011)

I love how passionate you are about this.


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## editor (Nov 1, 2011)

Kanda said:


> I love how passionate you are about this.


I love the way you contradict yourself. Can you keep it on topic please?


Kanda said:


> The thread is about web usage. Please keep up, don't derail.


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## Kanda (Nov 1, 2011)

How have I derailed by saying 'I love how passionate you are about this '

??? I haven't. at all. What are you going on about???


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## FridgeMagnet (Nov 1, 2011)

Data usage is not the same as breadth of web usage, of course. After all, you could use gigs of data transfer on one site (YouTube).

I have to say that the initial graph is not really all that impressive, showing as it does some fairly flat lines that wobble in the last month (and they wobbled in the opposite direction at the start of the year).


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 1, 2011)

Kanda said:


> ... yes, but we know that. That's why that chart is quite interesting... !!
> 
> This isn't a thread about who has sold more lately, we know that...
> 
> The thread is about web usage. Please keep up, don't derail.



Indeed, my reading of the original link is it isn't limited to the US either. But don't let the Ed troll yet another Apple thread so let's not split hairs.


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> But don't let the Ed troll yet another Apple thread so let's not split hairs.


Posting up related facts and stats for discussion is not 'trolling'.

Please stop this pointlessly disruptive behaviour, and please keep all your personal observations about me to yourself from now on. Thanks.


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 2, 2011)

editor said:


> Posting up related facts and stats for discussion is not 'trolling'.
> 
> Please stop this pointlessly disruptive behaviour, and please keep all your personal observations about me to yourself from now on. Thanks.



Bullshit, you're a troll.


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Bullshit, you're a troll.


Please stop this pointlessly disruptive behaviour, and please keep all your personal observations about me to yourself from now on. Thanks.


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## Kanda (Nov 2, 2011)

editor said:


> Please stop this pointlessly disruptive behaviour, and please keep all your personal observations about me to yourself from now on. Thanks.



To be fair, Post 6 WAS kinda unrelated. Till I pulled you up on it. Wether you misread the OP I don't know....


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

Kanda said:


> To be fair, Post 6 WAS kinda unrelated. Till I pulled you up on it. Wether you misread the OP I don't know....


I think post 6 was still related - if Android's lead was as huge as the articles I linked to suggested, then it made the graph in the opening post seem even odder. And my next post drilled down further into that. I certainly don't see how it could be described as "trolling" by any measure.


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## Kanda (Nov 2, 2011)

My post 4, says I think Android users are less web intensive (i admit a small control group).

Your post 6 is just about sales figures, which we all know. Can you not see how it reads to people? Someone posts something, which in the above graph (the OP) is possibly Apple positive...  then you come along and post something quite off topic.. sure you come along and correct it but.. can you not see how it's read in context?????


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

Kanda said:


> My post 4, says I think Android users are less web intensive (i admit a small control group).
> 
> Your post 6 is just about sales figures, which we all know. Can you not see how it reads to people? Someone posts something, which in the above graph (the OP) is possibly Apple positive... then you come along and post something quite off topic.. sure you come along and correct it but.. can you not see how it's read in context?????


To be honest, I really, really don't.

I wasn't quoting you in my reply and my first response made no comment past the fact that with Android sales being so much higher than Apple's that first graph seems really


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## FridgeMagnet (Nov 2, 2011)

If there are more and more people using Android - which there do seem to be - it does indeed seem odd that a decreasing proportion of them are actually looking at websites. As a mere observer (all right, also app developer and occasional mobile tech consultant) I might suggest that if the figures are accurate it could indicate a significant difference in markets for the different OSes, and also a difference in the newer update for Android - previously, users were more likely to be quite enthusiastic net-using "early adopters", but as the OS spreads, new users will be less interested in that aspect.


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## Kanda (Nov 2, 2011)

FridgeMagnet said:


> If there are more and more people using Android - which there do seem to be - it does indeed seem odd that a decreasing proportion of them are actually looking at websites. As a mere observer (all right, also app developer and occasional mobile tech consultant) I might suggest that if the figures are accurate it could indicate a significant difference in markets for the different OSes, and also a difference in the newer update for Android - previously, users were more likely to be quite enthusiastic net-using "early adopters", but as the OS spreads, new users will be less interested in that aspect.



.. yes. And I think there is a massive usage disparity (?) between the two if you exclude the techie users (many posters here) and normal users (many people I know IRL.. down the pub etc) But thats just my personal experience..


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

FridgeMagnet said:


> As a mere observer (all right, also app developer and occasional mobile tech consultant) I might suggest that if the figures are accurate it could indicate a significant difference in markets for the different OSes, and also a difference in the newer update for Android - previously, users were more likely to be quite enthusiastic net-using "early adopters", but as the OS spreads, new users will be less interested in that aspect.


Thing is, with the Samsung S2 outselling the iPhone in the UK for the last 4 months or whatever, you'd imagine that those users would be hogging just as much data as their Apple counterparts, no?


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## FridgeMagnet (Nov 2, 2011)

That's "the newer *uptake* for Android" btw


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

Although studies show that the average Apple user downloads double the amount of apps than Android users, overall Android app downloads have now overtaken those of iOS by a considerable margin.





> Of all mobile apps downloaded in the second quarter of 2011, 44 percent were Android while only 31 percent were iOS.
> 
> In addition, Android phones are finding their way into the hands of more and more users, therefore it's not a huge surprise that more Android apps are being downloaded. According to comScore's August report on mobile market share, almost 44 percent of smartphone owners have Android phones while 27 percent have iPhones. These numbers closely resemble ABI's percentages for Android and iOS app market share.
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/25/android-apps-ios-abi-research-study_n_1030595.html


Those figures in the OP still seem a  bit suspect to me.


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## FridgeMagnet (Nov 2, 2011)

editor said:


> Thing is, with the Samsung S2 outselling the iPhone in the UK for the last 4 months or whatever, you'd imagine that those users would be hogging just as much data as their Apple counterparts, no?


According to the graphs you posted, in the US they _are_. I have no idea how good those graphs are. But either way, it doesn't correspond to general web presence. You could easily have a huge data transfer rate by visiting just a few high-data sites.


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## Kanda (Nov 2, 2011)

editor said:


> Thing is, with the Samsung S2 outselling the iPhone in the UK for the last 4 months or whatever, you'd imagine that those users would be hogging just as much data as their Apple counterparts, no?



I personally don't think so. I think you have different kinds of users across the two devices. Either that or a different 'experience'..

Why would they be hogging as much data? (honest question as I think you and I are similar in phone use, but that isn't par for the course i don't think)


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

I'm sure that the average iPhone user downloads more data than the average Android user, but with Android now so hugely popular, I don't see how iPhone's lead could suddenly _increase_ in the face of such massive sales - especially when recent reports show iOS's market share to be declining fairly rapidly.


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## Kanda (Nov 2, 2011)

editor said:


> I'm sure that the average iPhone user downloads more data than the average Android user, but with Android now so hugely popular, I don't see how iPhone's lead could suddenly _increase_ in the face of such massive sales - especially when recent reports show iOS's market share to be declining fairly rapidly.



Siri? Location services? Delay on new iPhone? etc etc...

Let alone the previous data hogs that were in iOS4..  4 million phones added..


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

Kanda said:


> Siri? Location services? Delay on new iPhone? etc etc...
> 
> Let alone the previous data hogs that were in iOS4.. 4 million phones added..


Sir apparently doesn't use much data at all - 63kb per query or 20MB/month.
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/11/how-data-heavy-is-siri-on-an-iphone-4s-ars-investigates.ars

Notably, the graph in the OP was rising before the 4S came out too.


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## Kanda (Nov 2, 2011)

editor said:


> Sir apparently doesn't use much data at all - 63kb per query or 20MB/month.
> http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/11/how-data-heavy-is-siri-on-an-iphone-4s-ars-investigates.ars



64kb across how many users fucking about with it after launch? The graph will probably go down when people get bored of shouting shit at it.


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## Kanda (Nov 2, 2011)

Is this like when I got my first iPhone? I thought: fuck me, the battery is shit and my data usage is high!!! Then I realised that it wasn't that.. it was the fact I was using it fucktons more, like, all the time... so of course they are both going to be higher... all the bloody time! That's what I think the iPhone changed, dependance and interaction on your day.


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

Sure: but then there's all those new Android users all playing like fuck with their new gadgets too.


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## Kanda (Nov 2, 2011)

editor said:


> Sure: but then there's all those new Android users all playing like fuck with their new gadgets too.



Not according to the OP... ?


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 2, 2011)

FridgeMagnet said:


> According to the graphs you posted, in the US they _are_. I have no idea how good those graphs are. But either way, it doesn't correspond to general web presence. You could easily have a huge data transfer rate by visiting just a few high-data sites.



It could be that iPhone users download more apps or the apps they've downloaded update more often too. Hefty amount of data that...


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## FridgeMagnet (Nov 2, 2011)

Er, let's be clear about this - the graph that the ed posted, which is the only one dealing with data usage on this thread unless I missed one, claims that Android users on average use more data per month than iOS users. Right? Which is what I was saying last night. Or has my brain completely gone walkabout?


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## fractionMan (Nov 2, 2011)

FridgeMagnet said:


> If there are more and more people using Android - which there do seem to be - it does indeed seem odd that a decreasing proportion of them are actually looking at websites. As a mere observer (all right, also app developer and occasional mobile tech consultant) I might suggest that if the figures are accurate it could indicate a significant difference in markets for the different OSes, and also a difference in the newer update for Android - previously, users were more likely to be quite enthusiastic net-using "early adopters", but as the OS spreads, new users will be less interested in that aspect.



There's an awful lot of not particularly smart android phones out there that are being used as... phones rather than mini-computers.


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

fractionMan said:


> There's an awful lot of not particularly smart android phones out there that are being used as... phones rather than mini-computers.


Not entirely sure about that, you know. Some Android phone are cheap, but they're still a fair bit more than feature phones, so if it's logical that even those users will still be accessing the web/Facebook/downloading apps etc. Not as much as a high end Android/iPhone user perhaps, but still using data.


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## fractionMan (Nov 2, 2011)

Yeah, they'll still be using data, but they're more likely to be in cheaper phones that people use mainly to phone and text. I know several people with cheap android phones who've never tweeted, facebooked, emailed or even searched on their phones.

I'd argue that they're more likely to be pay as you go (with associated data charges), but I could be wrong I guess.


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

A lot of the phone/texting crew get Blackberrys these days.


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## fractionMan (Nov 2, 2011)

true

All my knowledge is anecdotal, but I do see people with android phones who have never heard of android.  They're just 'phones'.


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

I'm still a bit surprised by the resurgence of Blackberry amongst da yoot.


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## ohmyliver (Nov 2, 2011)

User headers can be spoofed on most android browsers so that it would appear to be a desktop browser, or even an iOS browser (although I dare say that a huge percentage of users don't this beyond choosing 'desktop mode'). I'd also be interested to know if third party browsers on Android like firefox/dolphin HD/opera on android show up in web usage stats as android browsers, rather than say just 'firefox' or 'opera'.


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## EastEnder (Nov 2, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Wow that's some impressive chart!


Why are they comparing Java ME to a bunch of OS's? Not to mention that Symbian natively supports Java ME..... bit of a screwed up comparison imho.


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## fractionMan (Nov 2, 2011)

I'd guess that Java ME means opera/whatever on older not so smart phones.


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## ohmyliver (Nov 2, 2011)

because android/symbian/non smart phones using Opera mini will show up a something like J2ME/MIDP in the user agent string... for example using opera mini on a Sony Xperia x10 (running Android 2.1) will show up as "J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/5.1.22296/22.414; U; en) Presto/2.5.25 Version/10.54" and using it on a K800i will show as "Opera/9.80 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/5.0.16823/1428; U; en) Presto/2.2.0"

(from http://www.zytrax.com/tech/web/mobile_ids.html )

*eta* it's a bit pointless this graph, it's like trying to ascertain percentage of users of Windows vs MacOS by using stats for Internet Explorer vs Safari.


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## EastEnder (Nov 2, 2011)

ohmyliver said:


> because android/symbian/non smart phones using Opera mini will show up a something like J2ME/MIDP in the user agent string... for example using opera mini on a Sony Xperia x10 (running Android 2.1) will show up as "J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/5.1.22296/22.414; U; en) Presto/2.5.25 Version/10.54" and using it on a K800i will show as "Opera/9.80 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/5.0.16823/1428; U; en) Presto/2.2.0"
> 
> (from http://www.zytrax.com/tech/web/mobile_ids.html )
> 
> *eta* it's a bit pointless this graph, it's like trying to ascertain percentage of users of Windows vs MacOS by using stats for Internet Explorer vs Safari.


Indeed, and relying on user agent strings for platform identification ignores all non-browser based web usage, such as email or anything else that doesn't run over http.

That graph largely agrees with the latest w3schools.com figures, although they break down the iOS stats into device type:


```
2011   Total     iPhone    iPad      iPod      Android   Others
Sep    0.89 %    0.17 %    0.30 %    0.04 %    0.25 %    0.13 %
Aug    0.91 %    0.19 %    0.30 %    0.05 %    0.24 %    0.13 %
Jul    0.95 %    0.20 %    0.31 %    0.06 %    0.24 %    0.14 %
```

It goes without saying that most statistics should be taken with a pinch of salt (not that journos should let that get in the way of a provocative headline...), but if those figures are representative then it's the decidedly non-smartphone iPad that's leading the iOS pack.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Nov 2, 2011)

yeah but w3schools figure are often very skewed.   compare  their  results for IE  compared to  other stats.

it's a techy site therefore will attract techy surfers


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## Cid (Nov 2, 2011)

editor said:


> I'm sure that the average iPhone user downloads more data than the average Android user, but with Android now so hugely popular, I don't see how iPhone's lead could suddenly _increase_ in the face of such massive sales - especially when recent reports show iOS's market share to be declining fairly rapidly.



'Android' is something of a misnomer though, it's not one thing - Apple currently (afaik) doesn't sell any phones that aren't compatible with iOS5, whereas the lower end of the Android market (which I'd guess is where most of the sales figures are) may well be on an earlier release, so not as good for apps etc. Also iPhone/S2 etc have really nice interfaces, lower end phones don't, so less likely to get used for browsing etc... Also there are going to be a lot of people buying a smart phone so they can watch stuff on it, occasionally use the maps or browse the internet and maybe get a fart app but not much more. Or even just because people have smart phones now, so they should have one. If, on the other hand, you're spending £400 plus on a phone you're probably more likely to buy into their apps, use their GPS etc etc.


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

Cid said:


> 'Android' is something of a misnomer though, it's not one thing - Apple currently (afaik) doesn't sell any phones that aren't compatible with iOS5, whereas the lower end of the Android market (which I'd guess is where most of the sales figures are) may well be on an earlier release, so not as good for apps etc. Also iPhone/S2 etc have really nice interfaces, lower end phones don't, so less likely to get used for browsing etc... Also there are going to be a lot of people buying a smart phone so they can watch stuff on it, occasionally use the maps or browse the internet and maybe get a fart app but not much more.


Not quite sure what you're on about here. 96.8% of Android phones are running Android 2.1 OS or higher, which means that they can access almost all the modern apps.


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## GarfieldLeChat (Nov 2, 2011)

I wonder if it has anything to do wtih the old manner pre ios 5 of updating the entire app on update rather than the changed elements of the app?

Does android do whole app updates or incrementals?

meaning significantly higher data usage and web connection time...


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## Cid (Nov 2, 2011)

editor said:


> Not quite sure what you're on about here. 96.8% of Android phones are running Android 2.1 OS or higher, which means that they can access almost all the modern apps.



2.1 isn't far off its second birthday... Not just a question of whether you can run an app, but how well it runs, how well the phone's interface etc work with it.


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## editor (Nov 2, 2011)

Eme's 18 month-old HTC legend works just fine and the interface can be customised to look exactly the same as mine. Still pretty fast too.


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## mrs quoad (Nov 2, 2011)

These threads are probably the best evidence, ever, for the danger of putting graph-producing software into many many pairs of the wrong hands.


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## Cid (Nov 3, 2011)

editor said:


> Eme's 18 month-old HTC legend works just fine and the interface can be customised to look exactly the same as mine. Still pretty fast too.



The Legend was middle-high end on release wasn't it? All I mean is that Android (or really the manufacturers that use it) is pretty much uncontested in the lower end of the market, the interface (as in the quality of the screen rather than a skin) and speed is not going to be as good and people won't be looking at doing extensive web-based stuff on them... Perhaps some browsing, using of maps and videos, but not as much usage of apps, direct downloading etc.


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## editor (Nov 3, 2011)

Cid said:


> 2.1 isn't far off its second birthday... Not just a question of whether you can run an app, but how well it runs, how well the phone's interface etc work with it.


It works just fine. Really.


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## Cid (Nov 3, 2011)

So why bother with high-end phones at all? just get yourself one of those £90 jobs, no need for S2s etc.


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## editor (Nov 3, 2011)

Cid said:


> So why bother with high-end phones at all? just get yourself one of those £90 jobs, no need for S2s etc.


I'm what's termed as a power user and I like a big screen and a ton of memory, so the extra expenditure is well worth the outlay for me. The biggest problem with the Legend is the lack of memory for apps: and if Eme could be bothered to root the phone that could be fixed too.


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 3, 2011)

mrs quoad said:


> These threads are probably the best evidence, ever, for the danger of putting graph-producing software into many many pairs of the wrong hands.



Think I'm beginning to agree...


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## Cid (Nov 3, 2011)

Again though, the Legend wasn't a low-end phone... All I'm saying is that low-end phones are less likely to run apps (as in the kind of apps most people are going to use; the more memory intensive/screen reliant games etc) as well - whether due to processor power or lower quality screens. Add to that the fact that lower end phones are generally going to be targeted at casual users and it seems pretty clear that you won't get as much data usage as you would if you took a product aimed exclusively at the high end of the market (i.e ios). Granted you'll get a shitload of people buying them for the look (although many of these are shifting to Android now ime), but proportionally you should see a higher number of people using lots of data.

Having said the link in the OP looks a little er... dubious.


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## editor (Nov 3, 2011)

It's worth pointing out that even a low end new Android phone is likely to have a CPU more powerful than the HTC Legend (that runs on a very modest 600 MHz ARM 11 processor). In fact, it's the same CPU as was found in the equally elderly bargain basement £90 San Francisco.

That said, I don't think anyone is arguing that folks with big shiny high end phones aren't more likely to hog more data on average. Mind you, Eme still managed to bust through her 500MB/month allowance on her little phone.


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 3, 2011)

@ Cid, Interesting point. With iOS5 it runs pretty damn well on my 3GS and fantastically well on my 4S. So in part that explains why iPhone users are more web/app/data orientated possibly, they're OS experience is consistently decent even if they're using a two and a half year old handset.


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## elbows (Nov 3, 2011)

Not consistently decent if you go back further though, my iPhone 3G runs like a compete turd.


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## mrs quoad (Nov 3, 2011)




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