Traffic to Google mobile signals Apple's iPhone success

Posted Jan 14th 2008 10:22AM by Douglas McIntyre
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Deals, Industry, Consumer Experience, Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL), AT and T (T)

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is getting a lot of traffic to its mobile search applications from the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)'s iPhone. That does not quite add up since the iPhone "accounts for just 2 percent of smartphones worldwide, according to IDC, a market research firm," writes The New York Times.

The data would seem to show that iPhone users will access internet search features 10 to 20 times more than customers with other smartphones. Based on the industry's perception of how good the handset's interface is for going online, that is possible.

The news raises two important issues. The first is that the iPhone is only available on the AT&T (NYSE: T) 2.5G network now. Later this year, it is likely to work on the faster 3G network, which could increase access to online services even more.

Beyond that, fees from using an interent browser and downloading data can be fairly significant. In other words, Apple and AT&T could be bringing in more revenue than most analysts think.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Tags: aapl, apple, at and t, AtAndT, goog, google, inthenews, iPhone, t

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-18-2008 @ 1:03PM

DEAN COLLINS said...

Of course it could also be that the webserver analytics are wrong and that because Apple iPhone triggers javascript correctly whereas 95% of all other handsets dont your recording methodology is just plain wrong.

....but that doesn't make the fanboys all warm and happy now does it.

But for mobile content holders/producers who actually want to know whats really happening to their content check out Amethon Mobile Analytics.

Cheers,
Dean Collins
www.Amethon.com

1-17-2008 @ 1:31PM

KenC said...

There are two things wrong with your comment. One, AT&T's 2.5g network is NOT the only way iPhone users can access Google's mobile search, they can also use WIFI, which is faster than 3g. Second, AT&T's data plan, is an all-you-can-eat plan. There is no additional cost to the iPhone user, unlike other networks and other phone plans. AT&T's iPhone data plan is only $20, which is far better than what you can do with other networks and phones, that is why iPhone users are accessing the network up to 20x more than others.