DUBLIN, 18 March 2014: Despite the growing popularity of Android devices and low-cost smartphones, Apple’s global grip on mobile device browsing remains impressive in many major global markets. New data from dotMobi reveals that Apple is the dominant platform for web browsing on mobile devices in many countries, particular in first world nations. 

 

The findings revealed in dotMobi’s Global Device Traffic Index, show that Apple’s iOS-based devices are most used by mobile browsers in the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, and many parts of Europe including France, Italy, Scandinavia and the Benelux countries.

 

However, the picture changes significantly in other important world markets where Android devices rank number 1 for web browsing. Of the 101 countries across the world where data is tracked, iOS devices dominated browsing in 34, while Android comes out on top in some 67 nations. Central Europe, for example, emerges as a stronghold for Android browsing. Germany, Austria, Hungary and Switzerland and many countries in Southern and Eastern European show notably higher web usage on Android based devices. India and Spain also skew towards Android on the web. South Korea, home nation of Android behemoth Samsung, sees some 74% of traffic on Android. 

 

According to the data, which measures traffic from mobile devices including phones and tablets, iOS accounted for 65.26% of total non-desktop web in the UK, 62.72% in the US, 73% in Canada and 65% in France, putting paid to the notion that people are falling out of love with the brand. This potentially points to the generous data plans that typically come bundled with Apple’s devices. 

 

While Apple still remains strong, the data also shows that Samsung devices are widely used in major mobile markets, including the US,  Brazil and China. Six out of the top ten most popular connected devices in the US and seven out of the top ten in Brazil are Samsung devices. Nokia remains a significant player across the world; ranking well in Tanzania, India and Vietnam but only commands the top ranking in Bangladesh where it carries 26% of that country’s mobile web traffic. Web usage of Nokia devices in its home market Finland comes in at 10%. BlackBerry devices come out on top only in South Africa with 39.34% of traffic but are still widely used to browse the web in Canada and Britain.

 

China is characterized by local device brands where the top ten browsing devices are made up of seven different manufacturers, including HTC and Samsung, as well as local brands Huawei, Xiaomi and ZTE.

 

Eileen O’ Sullivan, COO, dotMobi states: “Although Apple has a stronghold across major markets across the globe, its dominance is not guaranteed. Apple is undoubtedly an aspirational brand, which delivers great products, however the cost of its devices may mean it loses market share in the long tail. More and more consumers are connecting to the web via non desktop devices. However, these consumers may prefer to purchase a cheaper and trusted local brand that can deliver a similar user experience and functionality – but without the hefty price tag. If so, Apple’s future position as market leader may be at risk.”

 

The data is freely available to registered users on the DeviceAtlas website and is correct as of March 2014.

Countries where Android devices rank highest for internet use			Countries where iOS devices rank highest for internet use
Country	Rank	% of Traffic	Country	Rank	% of Traffic
Macedonia	1	90.68	Australia	1	74.28
Albania	1	81.51	Denmark	1	73.53
Serbia	1	78.37	Canada	1	73.41
Slovenia	1	75.72	Luxembourg	1	69.32
South Korea	1	74.02	Belgium	1	68.34
Austria	1	72.6	Japan	1	67.52
Slovakia	1	66.06	New Zealand	1	66.96
Croatia	1	63.59	Sweden	1	66.09
Switzerland	1	63.23	Netherlands	1	65.59
Hungary	1	61.45	France	1	65.44
India	1	57.78	United Kingdom	1	65.24
Germany	1	57.66	USA	1	62.06
Spain	1	56.38	Norway	1	61.09

- ENDS -

 

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from analysis of data from dotMobi’s DeviceAtlas and goMobi (now discontinued) platforms. Data has been gathered from billions of mobile site visits in the last 12 months, from over 100 different countries around the globe. 

 

dotMobi is an expert provider of mobile web technology, focused on helping you reach your customers, no matter what the device, the content, or the context. We provide the solutions you need to ensure your content works in a dynamic, often uncertain web environment and have developed a range of award-winning products and tools to help our customers make their content work in a connected but diverse world. 

 

dotMobi, a wholly owned subsidiary of Afilias, was founded in 2005 by leading mobile operators, network & device manufacturers, and Internet content providers, including Ericsson, Google, GSM Association, Hutchison 3, Microsoft, Nokia, Orascom Telecom, Samsung Electronics, Syniverse, T-Mobile, Telefónica Móviles, Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM), Visa and Vodafone. 

 

Afilias is a global provider of Internet infrastructure services that connect people to their data. Afilias’ reliable, secure, scalable, and globally available technology supports a wide range of applications including Internet domain registry services and Managed DNS. For more information on Afilias TLD services, visit http://www.afilias.info