Apple Devices Dominate Global Web Browsing, As Android Gains Ground

                                                      

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 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 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 UK.

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."

Rankings

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