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Businesses Cellphones IOS Iphone The Almighty Buck Apple

Apple Increases Dominance of Mobile Shopping 136

Posted by Soulskill from the apple-a-day-keeps-the-savings-account-at-bay dept.
bdking writes "If you purchased something online from a mobile device in December, there's a 92% chance you used an iPad or iPhone. And if so, you probably spent more money than someone making an online purchase with an Android or a desktop computer."
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Apple Increases Dominance of Mobile Shopping More

Apple Increases Dominance of Mobile Shopping

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  • this statistic seems unlikely.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by jhoegl ( 638955 )
      I agree, and I quote the Simpsons for my logical reasoning
      "You can make statistics prove anything Kent, 15% of all people know that" - Homer Simpson

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Indeed, you could equally conclude:

        - only rich people can afford Apple products

        - some retailers don't count Android browser hits

        - Apple users try to justify their purchase to themselves by using it for everything while Android users pick the best tool

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by 517714 ( 762276 )
          How is an iPad not perfectly suited to the task? If an Android user must choose another tool to make online purchases, then that is a poor reflection on the capabilities of Android. I do not believe that to be the case. I suspect a lot of Android users are savvy enough to set their browser so it appears as a desktop browser so that they do not get the streamlined/reformatted feed.

    • Not necessarily, since Apple customers by very demographic have more money.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by narcc ( 412956 )

        Not necessarily, since Apple customers by very demographic have more money.

        Actually, that distinctions belongs to Blackberry users.

        Rich Smartphone Users Opt for Blackberry over iPhone: Survey [ibtimes.com] September 26, 2011:

        Most affluent smartphone owners prefer BlackBerry over the iPhone, and Android remains the people’s choice in the middle or upper-middle income group, according to a survey.

        • I don't think that's the case in the UK. Most Blackberry users here tend to be teenage girls who like the fact you can send unlimited free texts using Blackberry messenger.

          • Re:android market sale...? (Score:4, Interesting)

            by narcc ( 412956 ) on Friday December 23, 2011 @04:16PM (#38475822) Journal

            That is true. BBM is one of the main reasons that Blackberry is so popular with the youth. (That and the most amazing keyboard on the market -- it's a pleasure to type on, and has only improved with time. Try out the keyboard on a 9900 sometime, you'll be astonished.)

            Really, Blackberry has something for everyone. From teens and rioters to wealthy business persons and celebrities, RIM has the software and hardware that most optimally meets their needs.

            • Re: (Score:3)

              by jbolden ( 176878 )

              I've liked the 2 Blackberries I've had. And as far as a texting phone, they are amazing.
              But the web experience on an iPhone is incomparably better.

              Really I think Blackberry should drop down to 200mb data plans with unlimited texting and emails. That seems to be their sweet spot. The problem is right now I have to pay the same (essentially) for a Blackberry as an iPhone.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ynp7 ( 1786468 )

        And less sense.

    • this statistic seems unlikely.

      TFA labels RichRelevance as a "retail analysis company" giving the reader the impression that the statistics arise from an impartial survey of global consumer behavior such as provided by organisations like Forrester Research. RichRelevance is neither independent nor impartial. It is a company that provides e-commerce, advertising and marketing services to "retailing partners sites" and by this very nature cannot cited as an authoritative or reliable source.

    • The numbers across our retailing partners sites

      From TFA. That could be an explanation - a biased sample, especially if the Apple store is one of the partners. They sell a lot and mostly to iOS devices.

      Maybe they only track "apps" and Android owners tend to use their browsers more or they are redirected to it from an app (which is forbidden in iOS, if I recall correctly).

      Could it be that Android on a tablet doesn't identify itself as a mobile browser? (this is easy to check, I just can't since I don't own a tablet)

      It's hard to take statistical data serio

      • Re: (Score:1, Informative)

        by OvERKiLLsFFT ( 986079 )
        I do not have an Android tablet (yet), but I am pretty sure they usually identify themselves as an iPad (So admins don't have to make 50,000 profiles) or a Desktop (Because an android can actually render a desktop version of a page properly), dramatically skewing these results. Not to mention that 3rd party browsers can report themselves as whatever the hell they want, while an iOS device has no option.
        • > Not to mention that 3rd party browsers can report themselves as whatever the hell they want, while an iOS device has no option.

          An iOS _device_ has no option? Safari on iOS may not have an option to spoof the user agent but 3rd party iOS browsers do.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by msauve ( 701917 )
      I don't think they're including "app store" purchases, but web purchases through on-line retailers (Amazon, Target, Walmart, etc.).
    • (You knew this was coming) "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lies,_damned_lies,_and_statistics
    • Really? I wasn't surprised. There's been quite a lot written lately about the platform differences and spending. Applications in the android market simply don't make anything near the kind of money that iphone apps do. That's why all the apps you see in googs market have ads... android users don't buy and developers want to bring in some revenue.

      Some big name developers have been saying that the Kindle has had a major impact on sales though. It seems Fire owners are much more likely to purchase apps

  • In other news (Score:3, Funny)

    by Colin Smith ( 2679 ) on Friday December 23, 2011 @03:01PM (#38475030)

    Apple iPad and iPhone users are found to have had their personal sense of values warped by the Jobs reality distortion field. Retailers are said to be intrigued.
     

  • Wrong! (Score:2, Funny)

    by chinton ( 151403 )
    I just checked, and I have found that I have a 0% chance of making a purchase using and iPad or iPhone.

    • You're a 1%'er ;)

      • He doesn't have an iphone/ipad.
        That's my guess.
        Either that or his phone service has been disconnected, or he has no money to make said purchases.

        I'm in one or more of those situations myself. :)
        One of my sisters just got a Galaxy Tab, she's very happy.

  • What are they buying? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by will_die ( 586523 ) on Friday December 23, 2011 @03:03PM (#38475052) Homepage
    With average orders being over $100 what are people buying that they would use a tablet or phone for instead of a desktop?
    I have tried ordering a few things uses a smart phone it kind of sucks unless it is a known item.

    • Re:What are they buying? (Score:5, Funny)

      by Frankie70 ( 803801 ) on Friday December 23, 2011 @03:06PM (#38475100)

      With average orders being over $100 what are people buying that they would use a tablet or phone for instead of a desktop?

      IPad was the #1 purchase on the IPhone & the IPhone was the #1 purchase on the IPad.

    • It's not so much that they couldn't buy it using a PC. They are just a different group of people who tend to spend more money then average people. I could have told you that about any Mac or Apple Addict 10 years ago.

    • You haven't used one, I imagine.
      It's quite easy to surf the net, and buy stuff when the need comes. I've done christmas shopping through the ipad & my desktop. Through Amazon, Absinthes.com, and a couple of other sites that escape me at the moment. The screen on my iphone is too small for my use like that, but I have added things to my Amazon wish list when on the iphone.

    • $475 ipad cases [most-expensive.net], of course.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Lehk228 ( 705449 )
      The amazon.com app for blackberry is quite nice

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Trogre ( 513942 )

      Android tablets.

  • excellent! (Score:5, Funny)

    by TechnoLuddite ( 854235 ) on Friday December 23, 2011 @03:07PM (#38475122)
    Android phones are obviously money-saving devices!

    • +1, I think this is the most important result so far.

    • What I've seen between myself anf a lot of colleagues and friends that own smartphones is that those with an iPhone buy the applications, while those with an Android phone use illegitimate copies.

      I think the main reason people buy more stuff on the iPhone, is that it's much harder to put illegal copies on an iPhone than it is to put something on an Android.

      The biggest purchases I've made on my iPhone are various TomTom applications. These have been very useful during business and holiday travels. Most of my

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jon3k ( 691256 )
        I have no idea how to load an Android app that's not from the market but I sure know how to jailbreak and use Cydia.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      It's true, just compare the cost of USB/dock charcgers and cables. The common bits everyone needs are cheaper.

  • Self-fulfilled research (Score:5, Informative)

    by UBfusion ( 1303959 ) on Friday December 23, 2011 @03:09PM (#38475146)

    If you can afford an iPhone 4Gs 64GB (€898.99 in my country, no contract) or an iPad 2 Wi-Fi 64GB ( €719.00), it's evident you have plenty more to spend online.

    • In my country (USA) an iPhone 4s 64GB is $849 (no contract), and an iPad 2 Wi-Fi 64GB is $699.

      Of course, that's nearly maxing out each of those devices, though.
      You can get an iPhone 4s 16GB for 649 and an iPad 2 Wi-Fi 16GB for $499.

      • If a difference of 849-629 = $220 is really such a deterrent to a prospective US buyer, whose average income is 6+ times our income, he shouldn't be buying an iPhone in the first place.

        The main issue is that purchases made with iDevices are gossip/tweet/facebook newsworthy, while purchases made with lowly Android devices are doomed to be scuffed upon.

        • 6+ times? I think your math is off.

          According to averagesalarysurvey.com, the median income here in the US is $46,300. And the median income in the EU (Well... I'm assuming bit. But you did use the â in a previous post.) is â38,000 which converts to $49,605 at the current exchange rate; a somewhat higher income, actually.

          Now, I know that taxes are higher in Europe so your actual take-home is probably lower. But you do get services for those taxes (better schools, public health care, mass transi

        • Legitimate question: are you exaggerating? Average household income in the U.S. 31,000 dollars (in 2007). The countries I see with 1/6th of that are Turkey and Mexico. Are you from either?

    • I just bought a cheap 4 gig Philips MP3 player at Radio Shack..cost me $100 and came with an arm band and headphones. The interface sucks, the ergonomics suck, and the colour is boring black...but it was 1/3 of the equivalent ipod (atleast here in Egypt). Anyhow, the only reason why I bought it was because I was having a cheap day and it was a present. Otherwise it would have been Apple premium all the way.

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by narcc ( 412956 )

        Odd, I bought a cheap 2GB Sandisk MP3 player for $30 and added a 4GB SD card. The interface is simple and the ergonomics are great (It's comfortable to use, and you don't even need to look at it at all to operate it.) It comes in several different colors, and mounts as a drive under Windows, Linux, Macos, and even MS-DOS with DOSUSB installed. (No need to install iTunes crapware. I can also optionally use any one of many different programs to manage my files, if you like that kind of interface.)

        It was w

        • What I really like about the modern smartphones is that instead of a lot of gadgets I only need to carry one. It's all of the following rolled into one: Map, TomTom, MP3 player, phone, address book, calendar, alarm clock, compass, portable gaming device, portable email device, portable browser, music tuner, metronome, noteblock, etc.

          I used to carry an iPod, PDA, mobile phone, metronome/tuner, compass, TomTom, Gameboy, and sometimes even more stuff. I used to buy coats with a lot of big pockets.

          Now I just ca

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by narcc ( 412956 )

            Yeah, my phone does all those things as well. Still, sometimes a special-purpose device is a better match. ("works" and "works well" are often worlds apart.)

            I have GPS in the car, because it's better suited than a phone for long trips. I have an MP3 player because it's easier to use without looking at the display. (It's also nice for travel, as I'm not worried about conserving my phone battery on long trips where I may not have access to an outlet for a long time). I have a kindle because the eink displa

            • Still, sometimes a special-purpose device is a better match. ("works" and "works well" are often worlds apart.)

              The thing is almost no devices fall into the "works well" category. Applications on a phone can however reach that status, because software can become excellent in a way a dedicated device fails to reach.

              I have GPS in the car, because it's better suited than a phone for long trips.

              I REALLY prefer Navigon or TomTom iPhone software to a few different dedicated GPS devices I have had.

              I have an MP3 pl

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by narcc ( 412956 )

                That made no sense to me. A USB adaptor for a lighter plug is what, $5?

                Think airplane. This is to say nothing of pleasure travel that may also put you out of reach of electricity for an extended period. (Though the user-replacable battery on Blackberry and some Android phones does mitigate this problem quite a bit.)

                • Think airplane.

                  For domestic flights, use as a music for 2-4 hours player hardly moves the iPhone battery.

                  For the occasional 9-10 hour international flight, you can also easily use it as a music player while having at least half a charge when you arrive. Even for movies you can use it for three or four movies, and if you are concerned simply attach a battery pack (I've never needed one, even for the longer 14 hour flights to Asia).

                  This is to say nothing of pleasure travel that may also put you out of reach

                  • Re: (Score:2)

                    by narcc ( 412956 )

                    It's not easy to defend non-user replaceable batteries. Especially knowing that batteries lose their ability to hold a charge over time.

                    This makes your statement "Devices with sealed batteries last much longer too" difficult to believe.

                    Of course, no matter what options or solutions you can offer, the fact remains that using a dedicated device instead of my phone means that I'm not using my phones battery for that purpose -- none will always beat out some.

                    On external battery packs, I've tried tons of the th

                    • It's not easy to defend non-user replaceable batteries. Especially knowing that batteries lose their ability to hold a charge over time.

                      Sure it is. They are better in every conceivable way.

                      They may lose charge over time, but here's the thing; because they start out with a far higher capacity, AND they do not lose the ability to charge as quickly, after two or so years you merely have battery life that is as bad as it would have been with a replaceable battery - and then you can simply pay a one-time fee fo

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by kyrio ( 1091003 )
        That's interesting because the SanDisk Sansa Clip, which is a highly recommended product, is only $40 and it has everything working great for it.

        Also interesting because you can get a huge selection of Cowon PMP, which are infinitely more powerful and useful than any Apple product, for much less than the cost of an Apple product.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by arose ( 644256 )
          Sansa Clip+ plus with Rockbox [rockbox.org] is a great combo. Sure, a smartphone also plays music, but it's huge (phones were shrinking nicely before people decided to do things that need big screens on them) and you can't make calls after you listen the battery empty.

  • So Why is this News? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Nom du Keyboard ( 633989 ) on Friday December 23, 2011 @03:10PM (#38475152)

    ...you probably spent more money than someone making an online purchase with an Android or a desktop computer.

    But if you're an Apple fanboi you've already proven that you like spending lots more money, so why is this news?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by horza ( 87255 )

      I was thinking the same. If you like over-priced hardware then why not over-priced software too? Why get something for free on Android when you can pay for it via iTunes and get that "spending buzz" shoppers can get addicted to.

      Phillip.

    • You are in the right direction, but you have to consider that most Apple fanbois don't know they are fanbois - they just do it subconsciously.

  • I'd imagine that with the iPad being seen as more of a luxury item and most iPhone users having a bit more disposable income than the 1 cent Android phone owners, it's only natural that this would occur. In other news, Volkswagen owners are 3 times more likely to wear beanies or recycle.

    • I imagine that mePhone owners are more likely to buy the latest Apple product while Android owners are more likely to buy shares on the stock market with their disposable income.

      • Actually, I doubt many traders use Android phones. The general public has the impression that Apple products "just work," so naturally the trading types would want to use that as they're just "too busy" to deal with something like Android. I've found Android attracts the tinkerers, the engineers, the geeks and the people who can't justify the cost of an iPhone. All but the latter likely have more disposable income, but they're also not the type that spends their money on sweaters, living room decor or jewel

        • "Buying stocks" is not "trading". I should know :-)

          Yes, your generalization is huge. I can say I'm seeing more Android phones in the hands of cab drivers these days, and corporate executives too. I suppose it's all just part of a shift in perception of where the value and utility is. I can also say that on my most recent plane trip I didn't see any iPads and most laptops stayed in their bags but there was a massive amount of interest in the Xoom I was using with a bluetooth keyboard, which turns out to be a

      • Or pet kittens or perhaps donate to charity. Android just makes you better!

  • Who would guess that owners of expensive devices marketed for style rather that practicality would be less careful with their money?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      It's true. Rich people have no conception of value at all. That's how they got rich!

  • I like that much better than being the 99%.

  • "The majority out there consists of idiots who'll pay more than necessary."

    Seems about right.

  • Apple device owners are spendthrifts, Android owners are frugal. And the news is?

  • Hit a Nerve? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Wingsy ( 761354 ) on Friday December 23, 2011 @03:32PM (#38475362)
    Boy, just reading through the comments shows that this article really hit a nerve with the Android "fanbois".

    • Actually, this troll article hit my funny bone.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      I think slashdot should be renamed to AndroidFanLayer. The Android fans are relentless here.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      You assume it's a bad thing. Not getting ripped off on accessories is good for consumers. At best all this shows is thar Apple hardware is popular with rich people.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Wingsy ( 761354 )
        Rich people? None of the people I know who have Apple products would I call rich. In fact, the few rich ones I do know use ole timey flip phones. Maybe, just maybe, it shows that people who prefer Apple devices know quality when they see it. And quality is usually priced higher than junk.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          WHOOOSH

          I'll explain it for the couple of other people who like you completely missed the point in their rush to be outraged and defend their lord Jobs. I was not saying those things are necessarily true, just that the rather useless statistics in TFA could be interpreted to demonstrate pretty much anything you like.

  • I develop for Android and own a Samsung 10.1" Galaxy (Android) tablet. I know someone who owns an iPad.

    Several months ago, I wanted to give them SSH access to a server. So I looked at what iPad had to offer. I could find no free SSH client (as of a few months ago). Not even an ad-supported one. The best I could come up with was a nagware one - it allowed you 500 or so SSH keystrokes and then logged out and asked you to buy the client.

    Meanwhile on my Android tablet, I have a free SSH client. It doesn't

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by LDAPMAN ( 930041 )

      You didn't look very hard. There are quite a few, there are even more that $.99 to $3.99. Two bucks is too much for you to contribute to some developer who did a great job of implementing a useful utility?

  • You have been iScrewed.

  • See, this information that Carrier IQ collects is very useful to the folks where it ends up. It is good for retailers to know if you are ordering something from an iPhone/iPad, so they can adjust the price accordingly.

    In this case, up. And they know that you will probably buy more expensive stuff, so they can direct more advertising to you.

    All this makes the markets and economy more efficient, so this is good for everybody.

    Probably.

    I think.

  • $123 for Apple mobile devices, $101 for Android devices, but $87 for desktop PCs?

    Sounds very unlikely, to me, that mobile devices would average more expensive purchases than the desktop, even on average. I guess they don't count all the small apps for Apple devices, and ignore larger purchases typically done from your home PC, like used (an new) cars and hi-fi equipment etc.

    Very strange numbers.

    • PC users are probably more likely to use multiple stores for their needs. So an iOS user or Android user files a single purchase for $400, a PC user files 4 for $100 each (or more likely, $95 average each, saving $20).

  • And she does all the shopping.

    So there.

  • Does this study take into account the number of people buying ebooks from their e-ink devices? There are an awful lot of Kindles, Nooks, and Kobos out there (Sonys too, but I don't think they let you buy books directly off the device).

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