February 15th, 2008
Google; AT&T shocked by iPhone usage
Search titan Google and mobile phone carrier AT&T have been stunned by iPhone users usage patterns according to reports in recent days.
AppleInsider reports that Google has seen 50 times more search requests coming from Apple iPhones than any other mobile handset. They were so shocked, in fact, that they suspected that they had made an error tabulating their data.
According to the Financial Times Vic Gundotra, head of Google’s mobile operations, said that if other handset manufacturers follow in Apple’s footsteps and make Web access easier on their handsets the number of mobile searches could outpace fixed internet search “within the next several years.”
I know that my Google searches from my iPhone are high because Apple makes it so damned easy. The Google search bar pops up right below (and as large as) the URL field. Why guess at a URL when Google is right there? I know lots of people that don’t even try URLs any more, they just Google everything – even domain names!
Is the address bar doomed?
In related news René Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom AG, says iPhone is driving up average wireless data usage as much as 30 times higher than on other phones. The average Internet usage for an iPhone customer is more than 100 MBytes. Which is 30 times the use for their average contract-based consumer.
AT&T’s announcement of new business and international roaming plans and their replacement of T-Mobile as the Wifi provider at 7,000 U.S. company-owned Starbucks stores nationwide should only accelerate data usage in the months to come.
A quick peek at my last two months iPhone data usage shows that I used 110MB in February and 169MB in January. You’ve gotta love those domestic unlimited data plans!
What is your Google and data plan usage on your iPhone?
Jason D. O'Grady is the editor of PowerPage.org, which has been publishing daily mobile technology news since December 1995. For disclosures on Jason's industry affiliations, click here or to view Jason's full profile click here.
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