Report: Apple Gains Smartphone Share But The iPad Slips

Ad network Chitika is out this morning with a post-holiday analysis of smartphone and tablet traffic. Based on “tens of millions of smartphone and tablet online ad impressions from the Chitika network,” the study looked at North American internet traffic from December 20 to December 29, 2013.

According to the study, the iPhone saw a nearly 2 point traffic-share gain while Android grew about 0.7 percent (Nexus devices). From the data below I infer that there’s no mobile traffic growth for Windows Phones.

It will take a little time to see if these traffic-percentage figures are mirrored in comScore and Nielsen smartphone market share numbers.

According to the Chitika data, the iPhone has a 54 percent traffic share and Android roughly 45 percent. ComScore’s most recent US smartphone data show Android with a 52 percent to 41 percent “ownership” lead over the iPhone.

The Chitika report also shows the iPad losing overall share in a tablet market that is clearly diversifying. However these are preliminary figures that may or may not translate into sustained usage.

Amazon aggressively discounted and even financed the sale of its Kindle devices, with apparent success. Microsoft also heavily discounted its Surface RT devices with some success. Samsung and Google’s Nexus tablets also saw gains in the Chitika analysis.

In its previous Q3 report Chitika said that the iPad generated 81 percent of the tablet traffic on its network in North America. That number has now dropped by five points to 76 percent amid gains by Apple’s competitors. The forked-Android Kindle is the clear tablet number two in the US, followed by Samsung Galaxy tablets.

StatCounter shows the iPad with 79 percent of US tablet traffic compared to 14 percent for Android and 0.5 percent for Surface RT. Elsewhere I’ve argued that device market share analysis should emphasize actual traffic and usage over “shipments.”

These traffic figures imply but don’t clearly reveal anything about absolute holiday device sales. Early indications were that the iPad sold well over the holiday period. That would suggest Android based tablets sold very well too.

About The Author

Greg Sterling

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and real-world consumer behavior. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.