AdMob Mobile Metrics

April 2009 Mobile Metrics Report – Mobile Web vs. HTML

Today we released the April 2009 AdMob Mobile Metrics Report, our monthly look at the traffic flowing through our network. Please download a copy of the report here.

For the first time, we have included data from third party sources in order to help address the following questions – how does AdMob data compare to the number of handsets sold, and how does usage of mobile Web sites compare to usage of HTML sites from mobile devices?

Our first comparison is between smartphone market share based on our mobile Web and application data and market share based on the number of smartphones sold. For the handset sales estimate we used Gartner’s estimate of smartphone sales in 2008 as a proxy for the installed base of smartphones.  This comparison gives a relative measure of which devices access mobile Web more often. We found that usage on iPhone and Android devices is greater than their relative market share while usage on the Symbian, RIM, and Windows Mobile devices lagged their relative market share.

Our second comparison uses data from Net Applications as a proxy for browsing on HTML sites from smartphones. Not surprisingly, the relative usage of both mobile Web sites and HTML sites is highest on Apple and Android devices. The iPhone OS had 8 percent of the smartphone market, but generated 43 percent of mobile Web requests and 65 percent of HTML usage. Ad requests from applications contributed to this heavy usage. Take a look at page 4 of the new April 2009 report for more details.

Right now, it’s clear that usage of mobile Web sites, applications and HTML sites is growing.  But just because iPhone and Android overindex more today, it does not mean HTML sites will rule.  Here is our take. We think that regardless of where the big players place their bets, it will be the consumer that decides what gives them the best Internet experience on their mobile device and that will be what they use.

Note that since we are making these comparisons based on data from three very different sources, which means the findings should be taken with a grain of salt. While we believe the results provide usable insight, the limitations should be noted. This is our attempt to answer the questions we receive from our publishers, developers, and advertisers.  If you are new to our Mobile Metrics report, please read our earlier blog post for more information on our methodology.

Mike F
Product Marketing

#1 App Shares All

Firemint shared some fascinating data today regarding their #1 iPhone app Flight Control.  This is the most detailed insight I’ve seen from a developer on the relationship between sales and App Store rankings in different geographies.  Visit their blog to download the entire 16 page PDF filled with statistics on sales per day, by country, and by ranking in the App Store.

Here are some of their stats:

•    Over 700,000 sales from March 6 to April 27
•    57% of sales in the US, 17% in Great Britain
•    Over 35,000 sold on their best day (19,164 in the US)

Source: http://firemintgames.blogspot.com/2009/04/flight-control-sales-numbers.html

Congrats to Firemint, and thanks for sharing.

Mike

RIM Results Demonstrate Continuing Strength in Smartphone Sales

RIM just blew out their quarterly results and their stock was up more than 20 percent today.

Their results demonstrate that consumer demand for smartphones appears to be holding up despite the down economy.  This news isn’t exactly surprising to us, we have seen an ever increasing percentage of our total ad requests come from smartphones. In February smartphones generated 33 percent of our US traffic.

You can get a snapshot of RIM’s success by taking a look at some of the data in our February Metrics Report.  While the Curve and Pearl still generate most of RIM’s traffic in the AdMob network, the Storm, Bold, and Flip have quickly made an impact.

Taking a look at a trended view of RIM’s device distribution by share of requests, it’s easy to see the shift in RIM’s user base to newer devices.

In particular, the Storm quickly made an impact at Verizon.  We blogged back in December about the success of the Storm, and it is now the top device used to access the mobile Web on the Verizon network.

RIM has certainly hit its stride, with the success of its newest devices and this week’s launch of their application store.  97 percent of ad requests from RIM devices come from version 4.2 of the RIM OS or higher, which means that nearly everyone with a BlackBerry has access to the BlackBerry App World at launch.  Take a look at the February Metrics Report for more info on RIM, Symbian, and Windows Mobile or sign up to receive future reports.

Mike F
Product Marketing