The Blagoblogs are a-buzz with a report that shows Android has overtaken the iPhone in mobile web traffic. This would be concerning were it not for two things:
- The report only shows Android overtaking iPhone in the U.S. (it’s still dominating globally)
- The report is created by AdMod, the mobile advertising company owned by Google, and is based on mobile traffic through its network. In other words, it doesn’t count any traffic directed through areas it doesn’t serve, including any by Apple-owned Quattro and many iPhone apps built on other platforms.
Since AdMob is a key part of Google’s mobile strategy at this point and is a key component to any ad-supported Android applications, this is almost exactly the trend we should expect to see. And this trend will only become more dramatic as Apple rolls out iAds in iPhone OS 4.0, which won’t wipe out third-party ad providers in iPhone apps but will likely come to dominate. Don’t be surprised to see a report six months from now showing Apple’s mobile web traffic dropping by half or more.
All of which suggests that a mobile ad network isn’t the best source for reporting the totality of mobile web traffic. Wouldn’t it be nice if all the mobile carriers got together and shared what they knew?
Via Fast Company
Pete Mortensen is a design strategist for consulting firm Jump Associates and the co-author of Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy, a book and blog that are significantly more interesting than you might initially think. Pete’s particular Apple avocations are both around design–interface and industrial. Follow him on Twitter!
