AfterDawn: News

Majority of European iPhone owners use it to surf web

Whatever your feelings about the iPhone, it has had a major impact on the web browsing habits of owners. A new comScore report inidicates that 80% of iPhone users in France, Germany, and the UK use their phones to browse the web. By contrast, only 32% of those using other smartphones use it for browsing.

Perhaps just as interesting is that more than half of those browsing the web on their iPhones are using them to visit social networking sites. That's not just more then the 3% among other smartphone owners, but also significantly higher than the 10% of all mobile phone owners who visit those sites via other means. Of course that's not entirely surprising given the younger demographic shared by both social networking participants and iPhone owners.



The web features of the iPhone seem to be just as important to its owners as playing music. While 70% used it to listen to music, a nearly identical 69.5% used it for email.

Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 15 Jul 2008 14:56

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• 5 comments

• 21Q

  Haha that is exactly what I use mine for. The web in the pocket is extremely convenient. I use it for social networking and as my music and check my email constantly. It is a computer in your pocket. And in my opinion it does it better then a pocket pc.

  15.7.2008 17:33 #1

• zdiggler

  Well.. I been wanting a full web browser on phone from the time I had my Visor with Phone module, who use Pen Dragon and Blazer for browser.
  
  6 years later iPhone have it.
  
  What so hard about other phone companies to make a full browser on WindowsMobile?
  
  but now I don't want to be online all the time any more, I only check my personal email when I get home. Browse personal stuff when I get home. I do visit forums that I at work during break times. Keeping work and social little apart.
  
  My phone have WAP and I goto Reuters and m.cnet.com WAP version when I'm taking a dump, that's more then good enough for me!
  
  I even go Radio Silent on Sunday's! Everyone should try it.

  15.7.2008 17:48 #2

• georgeluv

  cheapest iphone 3g plan with unlimited surfing = $99
  
  cheapest verizon plan with unlimited internet = $45 (2x faster too)
  
  cheapest cricket plan with unlimited everything = $50
  
  
  
  get the iphone if you like spending 3 times as much as everyone else just to be trendy.

  17.7.2008 10:18 #3

• 21Q

  It's only $99 if you get mobile me. If not then it's $30. I only pay $20 with my 1st gen iphone and its $10 more with the 3g iphone.

  17.7.2008 16:58 #4

• BcMester

  Of course every iphone owner uses it for browsing. At least in Ireland where I live, it's impossible to get an iphone without a mandatory data plan (and I believe Apple was very careful to make sure it happens this way) on a 18-month contract! Hello! And since you have 1GB/month at your disposal whether you want it or not, you might as well make the most of it and surf. If they surveyed the Irish iphone users, of course they'd come up with results like '80% uses it to browse the web'. Haha, only because the other 20% doesn't know how to, or they would too. It's not an achievement, it's a consequence.
  Quote:...it has had a major impact on the web browsing habits of owners.Not the phone itself, the data plan attached to it.
  Quote:By contrast, only 32% of those using other smartphones use it for browsing.I'm a smartphone user, and I belong to the 68% not browsing, only because I didn't want to sign a contract and my carrier doesn't have a data plan for prepay customers. These numbers don't mean anything without knowing why the 68% doesn't surf.

  17.7.2008 19:33 #5