An interesting shift in the iPhone userbase is starting to emerge through ad analytics: Verizon users are tossing Android aside in favor of iOS, whereas AT&T users are doing the opposite. The data comes from Chitika, a company that monitors online advertising and user trends, and they report that the Verizon swing from Android to iOS has been substantial.
Don’t get too proud of yourselves just yet, iOS fans: AT&T seems to be the place where iPhone users don’t want to be. While Verizon’s slice of the Apple pie (see how I did that?) may have gone up, AT&T users have switched to Android in a big way.
While Verizon still has four of the top five Android smartphones (Droid X, HTC Droid Incredible, Samsung Fascinate, Droid), its market share is clearly down. In contrast, AT&T’s share of the Android phone market is increasing, with devices such at the HTC Inspire gaining significant popularity among smartphone users. Both Sprint and T-Mobile remain relatively stable, thanks to the stability of their respective flagship devices (HTC Evo, MyTouch 4G).
One thing I find particularly interesting about this study is how it’s all measured in percentages, not absolute numbers… which is a shame, because I’d like to see them. Why? Because there’s a difference between the percentage of Android users growing at AT&T because more people are buying Android phones or because iPhone users have finally had it and are moving to Verizon. Unfortunately for AT&T, my theory is a rather tidy one that rings somewhat believable: With this great migration away from iOS at AT&T having happened in the six months that Verizon has supported the iPhone, it’s a pretty safe bet that there wasn’t a sudden influx of Android users but, given AT&T’s reputation for lousy service and shoddy coverage, iPhone users finally had enough.
Source: Chitika
Via: Ars Technica
