February Tablet Update: Usage of Android Tablets Again Rises in North America
As the tablet market heats up, Apple’s iPad, the longtime front runner, has begun to experience increased pressure from its Android competitors. A recent report from an analyst at Tech-Thoughts projects 7-inch Android tablets to overtake the iPad in Q1 2013, supplemented by increased demand in emerging markets. In regards to North America, Chitika Insights regularly tracks tablet Web usage to quantify month-over-month developments, and this latest report updates our January study on the subject.
Back in June, Chitika Insights data pointed to Chromebook Web usage rates in North America being 25% that of PlayStation users, and 1/100th that of Linux users – a small share, particularly for an OS that has been on the market for over a year. However, the holiday season brought with it a renewed marketing effort for the Chromebook, along with announcements of different manufacturers jumping into the Chromebook marketplace. Additionally, on February 21st, 2013, Google announced that it was set to release Chromebook Pixel, a $1,300 laptop closer to its PC and MacBook cousins rather than previous models. In light of these developments, Chitika Insights looked to revisit the Chrome OS usage environment.
The Samsung Galaxy Note II was released this past fall as a successor to Samsung's successful Galaxy Note. The unit was carried by all the major U.S. service providers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon) and global sales exceeded five million units within two months of release. As the phone is one of the most prominent devices within the so-called “phablet” market, Chitika Insights looked to examine how the devices have been received by different carrier subscribers.
The latest version of Android, Jelly Bean, has introduced new features such as a more powerful camera interface and predictive search tools. The OS itself is compatible with many of the newer Android smartphones that have been released over the past year, enlarging its potential install base. While Google’s own statistics point to global adoption of Jelly Bean coming in around 13% of its users, Chitika Insights looked to quantify the version distribution within North America.
As the result of reports of what Apple described as "an Exchange calendar bug that could result in increased network activity and reduced battery life" for some iOS 6.1 users, the company released its latest update to iOS 6. The newest version, iOS 6.1.2, was launched on February 19th, 2013 – slightly over a week following its release of iOS 6.1.1, which was targeted explicitly to iPhone 4S users. With this latest update going out to iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches, Chitika Insights examined the initial adoption rate of the OS, to compare it with our earlier study on iOS 6.1.1.
Global sales of the Samsung Galaxy S III notably surpassed 20 Million units sold within the first 100 days. The smartphone's status as a flagship phone, combined with substantial demand for the product and its wide availability, have made it an essential offering for many cellular carriers. Given its position as a market-leading product, Chitika Insights conducted a research study to determine the current rate of Samsung Galaxy S III usage across each carrier selling the phone in the U.S.
Apple released iOS 6.1.1 as an over-the-air upgrade on February 11th, 2013 - a mere two weeks after the release of iOS 6.1. The quick turnaround for this latest release was due to problems encountered by some iPhone 4S users regarding cellular connectivity and accessing Microsoft Exchange over their devices. With the latest update only going out to those iPhone 4S users, Chitika Insights examined how iOS 6.1.1’s release impacts the overall distribution of iOS traffic in North America.
During the fourth quarter of 2012, tablet sales saw 75.3% year-over-year growth, according to the latest research figures from IDC. These sales estimates underscore the trend that tablet and mobile devices are now driving growth in personal computing. To determine the current distribution of Web usage among leading tablet devices following the holiday season, Chitika Insights sampled U.S. and Canadian tablet ad impressions running through the Chitika Ad Network. 
Chitika Insights brings you our latest Search Engine Market Share Report, breaking down the distribution of the biggest players in the industry.
Chitika Insights brings you our latest Operating System Market Share Report, breaking down the distribution of the biggest players in the mobile and desktop industries.
