Apple Still Beating Android: Report

Apple's iPhone may have slipped behind Android, but the iPad is still going strong.

Apple's iOS platform, across iPhones, iPads and iPod touches, reaches 37.9 million users, according to a new report by comScore. In comparison, only 23.8 million users are on Android OS -- 59 percent less than Apple iOS.

Though the passion of Apple devotees is legendary, only 4 million, or about 10 percent, of the Apple users had more than one Apple device. Of all the iPad owners surveyed, 27.3 percent also used an iPhone, while 17.5 percent had BlackBerry devices, and 14.2 percent had Android phones.

"These data clearly illustrate the Apple ecosystem extends far beyond the iPhone," said Mark Donovan of comScore in a statement. "Though it's frequently assumed that the Apple user base is composed of dedicated Apple 'fanboys', there's not a tremendous amount of overlapping mobile device access among these users."

Of course, Apple gets a big boost from the iPad's lead inthe tablet market thus far. Recent reports show that Apple held 83 percent of all tablets shipped in 2010, and analysts at Goldman Sachs predict that it will hold on to somewhere from 54 to 74 percent of the market for the next two years. Suppliers believe Apple will ship 45 million iPads in 2011.

And who are these iPad lovers? While the greatest chunk are in the 25 to 34 year old range (27 percent), the 25-34 and 18-24 age groups made up another 30 percent of users.

Comments

[CaptainObvvious]

09:09 AM on 04/22/2011

Apple isn't losing. Not even in the smartphone market.

They are the worlds LARGEST handset marker by REVENUE. They make the #1 hottest selling smartphone in the world and reap record profits from it.

The App Store is responsible for the VAST VAST VAST majority of App downloads while Android is responsible for a small percentage. It doesn't matter to developers that more people have an Android phone when the real money is in iOS because that is where people are buying apps.

They make more money than anyone else and have far and away the hottest App Store which attracts the most development.

So what does it matter there are more Android devices than iOS smartphones? What difference does it make when it comes down to it?

[NonPrawf]

04:13 AM on 04/22/2011

Apple is going down!!

[deweydecimal]

05:46 PM on 04/21/2011

Kinda funny that you have to resort to funny math to spin Apple these days.

[CaptainObvvious]

09:13 AM on 04/22/2011

What spin is needed? They are the highest revenue handset maker in the world and have by FAR the best selling App Store which assures top notch development ahead of Android.

That is what matters.

The fact that there are more Android devices than Apple devices means nothing when Apple is making more money and selling more apps than they are.

There may be fewer Apple handsets but the platform is much hotter for developers and Apple is taking in record profits. That is the biggest win for the consumer and for Apple.

[deweydecimal]

01:36 PM on 04/22/2011

"And who are these iPad lovers? While the greatest chunk are in the 25 to 34 year old range (27 percent), the 25-34 and 18-24 age groups made up another 30 percent of users."

[666dorado]

04:53 PM on 04/21/2011

enough with the stupid apples-to-oranges comparisons. apple is a company who doesn't license their OS's to anyone, obviously android will eventually overtake it in terms of marketshare/presence. but android is not a company in direct competition, it's an open source OS owned by google that shows up on any number of devices from a multitude of manufacturers. and google is an entirely different business model.

if the argument is "apple vs. everyone-who-is-not-apple", of course apple can't stay on "top" in marketshare forever. but what relevance does that have? i'm sure android marketshare will take away from iOS overall potential, but apple does a lot more than just worry about their OS being everywhere. who are they in direct overall competition with? as far as devices go, they are selling more ipad/iphone devices than they can keep in stock, but that's only part of their business.

[NHBill]

04:30 PM on 04/21/2011

"And who are these iPad lovers? While the greatest chunk are in the 25 to 34 year old range (27 percent), the 25-34 and 18-24 age groups made up another 30 percent of users."

perhaps Ms. Lee chose the wrong profession.

[CelticBrewer]

02:14 PM on 04/21/2011

They probably didn't include the 14 million Nooks that have been sold. Afterall, they're Android devices. If you're going to count the iTouch, you have to include the Nook. What about GoogleTV that's also on Android? Face it, Apple is back in the minority where it belongs.

[buddhistMonkey]

11:25 PM on 04/21/2011

((( "They probably didn't include the 14 million Nooks that have been sold." )))

That's because Barnes & Noble has only actually sold about three million Nooks:

http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/03/29/estimates-point-to-3-million-nooks-color-sold/

((( "Face it, Apple is back in the minority where it belongs." )))

The iPhone is the most popular phone in the world, the iPad commands more than 70% of the tablet market, and iOS devices are out-selling Android devices worldwide by a ratio of more than 3:2. If Apple is in the minority, then Android is way out on the fringe.

[Blayzen]

01:55 PM on 04/21/2011

I was mocked and rediculed for saying droid is future... after switching from apple i will never return. I love froyo and i cant wait for my honeycomb update.

[2riv1dra]

12:24 PM on 04/21/2011

Translation: "Apple is losing in the one market it is competing with Android head to head in. However, when we include two other markets -- one with no Android device presence and another it has only recently entered -- then Apple is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition."

This is one of the most idiotic comparisons I've ever seen. Why didn't they throw Apple TV in the mix as well? That uses iOS and has no competition with Android in its respective market either.

[buddhistMonkey]

11:34 PM on 04/21/2011

((( "This is one of the most idiotic comparisons I've ever seen." )))

You may view it that way, because your side is losing badly, but it's an important comparison for app developers. The iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad all run the same software, so collecting their sales data under the heading of "iOS devices" is useful for developers comparing Apple's ecosystem to that of "Android devices." (many of which come in form factors with which Apple isn't directly competitive, either).

[CaptainObvvious]

09:16 AM on 04/22/2011

You couldn't be more wrong. Android is losing even if you just look at the smartphone market.

Apple is now the largest device maker by REVENUE in the WORLD.
Their App Store accounts for the VAST majority of mobile app downloads and Android trails WAAAAAAAAY behind... Where are the best developers going to go? iOS obviously that's the platform where people actually USE their phones and download and buy apps.

As long as Apple is the best selling manufacturer making record profits with far and away the best selling app store they will be number one. Having more phones out in the wild but making less money with far fewer mobile app downloads doesn't make you a winner.

[SwingingFromCenter]

04:04 AM on 04/21/2011

The iPad will always beat the Android tablet, and the Android phone will always beat the iPhone.

Why?

Because tech savvy users gravitate to the Android phones, as they are a superior product and nowhere near as restricted. 

However, tech savvy users don't buy tablets AT ALL because they're merely a faddish niche, which means that they can't drive the sales of Android powered tablets.  That arena will always be dominated by the low-skill technological Luddites who buy Apple products.

[rjhuntington]

06:23 AM on 04/21/2011

The bias in your commentary reduces the credibility some of your statements may have had. But that's ok because you are just plain wrong. Tablets will become ubiquitous and virtually everyone, from the tech-savvy to the Luddite and everyone in between, will use them in one way or another for one reason or another, your obvious bias notwithstanding.

[redmaple]

01:32 PM on 04/21/2011

Never use "always" as things tend to change. Less than 10 years ago Apple was in intensive care. Nobody knows in 10 years.

[MikeyJaii]

11:43 PM on 04/20/2011

The iPhone is so weak compared to the Android ...

[philp71]

10:58 AM on 04/21/2011

I know the iPhone has more games and apps while the Android is still catching up I think they just got Cut the Rope and Angry Birds. I can't wait for Infinity Blade for Android...oh wait that wont happen.

[DrReve]

05:17 PM on 04/21/2011

Yeah, I miss those error messages and out of memory pop-ups, I don t get those with my iPhone.

[ResearchtheFacts]

11:31 PM on 04/20/2011

Liar, liar just hit twitter the Viewsonic 10.1 G Tab has surpassed ipad in sells. They spent 1% on advertising and has gone viral because of word of mouth and user satisfaction. It's wifi only so it wouldn't be subscriber but you can tether your android phone to this android tab and have free 3G or 4G connection, no contract. Set to win sleeper tablet of the year. A whole lot of people did not buy ipad. G Tablet sells on amazon for $299 with better specs than ipad 2, 5 input methods and is there number one seller.

[JohnTheMac]

07:09 AM on 04/21/2011

"Set to win sleeper tablet of the year."

no argument there!

[chef151]

12:25 PM on 04/21/2011

lol. Yes, the highly coveted 'sleeper of the year' award.

[g4dualie]

05:00 PM on 04/21/2011

http://royal.pingdom.com/2011/04/20/ipad-used-more-than-linux-computers/

Read it and weep rtf. This little pesky detail flies in the face of your brand of truth.

If you're a fan of Linux, I suggest you not read the article. It will only break your heart.

[ResearchtheFacts]

06:50 PM on 04/21/2011

This is your credible source...Ramblings from the Pingdom team about the Internet and web tech. lol lol lol

Oh, that was hysterically funny seeing I'm typing from a Windows 7 computer and my tab is android. Which do you think I use most of the time? lol lol

[FRANCHISE167]

09:10 PM on 04/20/2011

I have to laugh at those who dream that Android is anywhere near as good as IOS. Android is a fractured mess. Googles gotta do a better job of playing catchup

[Layman23]

08:28 PM on 04/20/2011

I own an motorola droid and i used to own an iPhone. Had to get rid of it due to AT&T.

I have to say the iPhone is still the king. It attention to detail and such smooth operation is unmatched.

Android is there... like wal mart of mobile os. Finicky and a little rough. Its missing those finer details like smooth scrolling and touch accuracy.

[Logan5]

06:52 PM on 04/20/2011

"While the greatest chunk are in the 25 to 34 year old range (27 percent), the 25-34 and 18-24 age groups made up another 30 percent of users."

The 25-34 year old range gets double counted? If you can't get the stats right, what else isn't right in this article?

[Kache]

08:07 PM on 04/20/2011

You beat me to it!

I couldn't believe it when I read it - until I remembered, no one's ever bothered to actually write business logic applications for Apple. How would they know?

Fanned!

[ResearchtheFacts]

08:20 PM on 04/20/2011

Nothing is correct about this article and why even put something so riddled with inaccuracies on this website, in addition, the math is seriously fuzzy. A 59% difference between 10-19%?  On what planet?

[ResearchtheFacts]

05:23 PM on 04/20/2011

This is hardly a credible article--the article states, 59 percent less than Apple iOS; .from the comScore website it states Apple iOS 37,868 16.2% Android OS 23,763 10.2% and they are gauging by subscribers. Not factoring in all Android users of mobile products are not with subscribers. You can have a wifi only tablet and not login to the Android Market so therefore you are not being counted if you want to be actual or factual or give specific number counts. Shouldn't they be doing this at the end of the 4th quarter of 2011 not the end of the 1st? You still have products being introduced.  This is premature, at best and between 16 and 10% is not 59%.

Who wrote this poorly written article? "These data clearly illustrate the Apple ecosystem extends far beyond the iPhone," These data? Mark Donovan of comScore needs a proofreader if he used "These data". Whose stock do you own Mark? What's your point? comScore didn't do themselves any good cause by putting out this press release.  It is riddle with inconsistencies and missing information and wrong timing.

[jahroo]

07:32 PM on 04/20/2011

Really? Before you go on and on about a grammatical mistake you really should look it up - data is plural. Mark was using it correctly. It just sounds wrong because no one seems to know how to speak English anymore.

[ResearchtheFacts]

08:18 PM on 04/20/2011

Reading is fundamental and I wasn't referring to data. The freakin math doesn't add up. Maybe were you went to school there is a 59% difference between 16 and 19%. Next time make sure you know what you are posting to before you leap. Thanxs!

[g4dualie]

05:15 PM on 04/21/2011

You're too hostile. I don't know if you're just having a bad week, or you're always this belligerent. You attack anyone and every thing with this caustic vitriol that stands apart from the rest.

Why are you so angry? Is this a phase or something, or could it be a little more serious? Because, quite frankly, you seem to be singling out EVERY article about Apple and taking a dump on it.

Why does any news about Apple, send you high and to the right? Did they kick your puppy to death?

Get help, soon.

[ResearchtheFacts]

06:47 PM on 04/21/2011

First get your icrazy under control. You come out of nowhere and you don't know anyone here personally and you make what you probably think of as profound statements, get a freakin grip.  You are on a blog posting. The objectivity is debate. Perhaps you should go back into the limited world of apple where you won't hear what others really think about your igod ijobs.

Wow, lol i can always counting on this website offering up those like you. Let's get this in check. Apple is not a personal entity it is a company but you making out of your hole assumptions about me very personal. I needed a good laugh today. What is clear is who now needs to get some help.