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iPhone vs. Windows Mobile: Web Browser Share Edition


Picture 3-11

Mike over at Phone different link-baited called me out with this little nugget-o-news, Net Applications appears to show that the iPhone's browser is popping up on the web more often than Windows Mobile devices:

The iPhone came in at #10 with 0.09%, whereas Windows CE weighed in at 0.06% for #11. You read that, Dieter? We're #10! We're #10!

Read: iPhone Web Stats - Phone different

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics, we say! Read on to find out why.


Even if we grant that HitsLink uses reliable methodology (“data from the browsers of site visitors to our exclusive on-demand network of live stats customers”), part of the problem is a bunch of WM browsers (and users) don't properly report themselves to the sites they visit. Yes, that's generally a bad thing, but sometimes it's nice to be able to force a site to think you're on a Windows Desktop.

Really, the point is driven home when you see that Series60 is way down at 0.1%. That either means that hitslink is only looking at the US or that there's something seriously wrong here. Even in my wildest dreams I wouldn't believe that Windows Mobile devices access the web more than Series60. Outside the US Series60 (and even more so with Symbian generally) enjoys a marketshare so outrageously big it boggles the mind.

Still, can you smell the fear in the above debunking? Because if we're really honest with ourselves, we'll admit it's there. Not a genuine fear that the iPhone will beat Windows Mobile in marketshare (in the US or globally), mind you. No - if nothing else take it as a sign that using the web browser on the iPhone is a soul-uplifting, joyful experience that keeps you coming back for more. PocketIE, on the other hand, is beginning to crush my spirit just a little bit. Thank god for Opera, but it's still no Mobile Safari.

Microsoft, Opera, Wake3 (with webkit), Mozilla, JB5, Access (NetFront)... somebody... ANYBODY: please make a browser for Windows Mobile that's competitive with Mobile Safari.

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Comments (11)

Here's the WMExperts reply!

Alright, we'll make this an official Round Robin thread, because it's fun to pit smartphones against each other! Heck, we even combined the comment threads on the two articles for more enjoyable smackery.

Posted by Dieter Bohn | December 4, 2007 12:32 PM

Where is Palm OS?

Posted by phrogpilot73 | December 4, 2007 1:40 PM

excellent question. No idea - PalmOS hardware doesn't seem to show.

I do see that NetFront (basis of Blazer) does have .01% of the overall browser share...

Posted by Dieter Bohn | December 4, 2007 2:58 PM

just seems hard to believe. I guess it you ask the right question you get the answer you want to hear.

Posted by Doc31 | December 4, 2007 3:59 PM

The numbers might be off, but they should be correct. Remember, most of the iPhone's allure is in applications based on using the web browser. And while it might be that a ton of folks might have been jailbreaking their devices, there are many more that have not and are using it just as it was designed to. Making more sites get more impressions from more users.

The numbers just mean that Internet on the iPhone is better than it is on WM, and that just brutal honesty, nothing that statistics need to help contribute towards.

Posted by Antoine of MMM | December 5, 2007 3:00 PM

well said Antoine...it's true folks, you may have the latest and greatest o/s via WM6 but the browser is soooooo 90's it should have a shellsuit skin option.

Posted by murrayalex | December 5, 2007 3:04 PM

Nokia's S60 Symbian OS shows up at #14 with 0.01%.

Symbian has a great browser. I'll miss it when I move from my Nokia E61 to a WM6 phone. Even Opera Mini is poor by comparison.

Posted by Stig | December 7, 2007 11:01 AM

The iPhone edged out the entirety of all Windows CE-based devices in web usage according to data provided by Market Share at Hitslink.com. The iPhone came in at #10 with 0.09%, whereas Windows CE weighed in at 0.06% for #11.

iPhone browser use seems to be growing at a pace. For the whole of December iPhone = 0.12%, for last two days 0.17%. WinCE is still 0.06% (whole of December figure).

http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=10
http://marketshare.hitslink.com/articles.aspx

If we assume that WinCE install base is something like 5-10x that of iPhone these figures point to the typical iPhone user clocking something like 10-30x the browser usage of the typical WinCE user.

Posted by marcol | January 2, 2008 9:06 AM

Would have to agree that the iphone usage with do nothing but go up especially after the holidays.

Posted by Fred333 | January 2, 2008 10:25 AM

Some other ponderables...

1) What about the applications that use safari to run? If any of these (e-mail, RSS readers?) are pinging websites and identifying themselves as safari, that can add up to some serious traffic. Does iTunes wireless purchasing work via safari?

2) As stated, a lot of WM users rely on other browsers, namely opera, minimo, and hacking PIE to identify itself as IE6 (for banking sites etc).

3) Maybe iPhone just appeals to a market that does more surfing than actual work (like push e-mail on the blackberry)? Betcha total internet traffic on WM6 devices outnumbers iPhone by a LOT. Wonder what the traffic #s for Verizon vs. AT&T are in terms of ave bytes per user per month?

Posted by PSB22 | January 2, 2008 11:01 AM

1) What about the applications that use safari to run? If any of these (e-mail, RSS readers?) are pinging websites and identifying themselves as safari, that can add up to some serious traffic. Does iTunes wireless purchasing work via safari?

[INDENT]"We use a unique methodology for collecting this data. We collect data from the browsers of site visitors to our exclusive on-demand network of live stats customers. The data is compiled from approximately 160 million visitors per month. The information published is an aggregate of the data from this network of hosted website statistics. The site unique visitor and referral information is summarized on a monthly basis."[/INDENT]

More here:

http://marketshare.hitslink.com/

I don't know but I'd be very surprised iTunes was part of the "exclusive on-demand network of live stats customers".

2) As stated, a lot of WM users rely on other browsers, namely opera, minimo, and hacking PIE to identify itself as IE6 (for banking sites etc).

3) Maybe iPhone just appeals to a market that does more surfing than actual work (like push e-mail on the blackberry)? Betcha total internet traffic on WM6 devices outnumbers iPhone by a LOT.

Do have any numbers at all to back this up?

Posted by marcol | January 2, 2008 11:26 AM

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