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Holiday Gifts Drive New iOS Device Activations Sharply Higher

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,556
30,884



While it seems obvious that the holiday gift-giving season is a strong driver for iOS device sales, as evidenced in part by past history and Apple's forecast of a blockbuster quarter, it is generally difficult to quantify that holiday boost before Apple reports device sales as part of its quarterly earnings or makes public statements about App Store milestones.

A couple of analytics firms have, however, put out reports today seeking to offer some measure of the bump in demand for iOS devices and those of competing platforms such as Android.

According to Flurry, both iOS and Android saw a "massive influx" of devices registering on the firm's servers, coming in through the over 140,000 apps using Flurry Analytics. Data collated by Flurry shows that combined new device activations for iOS and Android rose from an average of 1.5 million per day during the first three weeks of December to 6.8 million devices on Christmas Day, an increase of 353%. This compares to a total of 2.8 million new devices detected on the previous record-setting day of Christmas 2010.

flurry_christmas_2011_activations.jpg



All of those new device activations also drove increased App Store activity, with Flurry measuring an increase of 125% in iOS and Android app downloads on Christmas Day compared to the early December baseline. Flurry's data shows that the 242 million app downloads on Christmas Day spiked from an average of 108 million per day during the first three weeks of the month. Flurry notes that the increase in app downloads is smaller than that for new device activations on a percentage basis due to the higher baseline from apps being installed onto the already-large installed base of devices.

Illustrating how different analytics firms can see somewhat different patterns due in part to what data is used for baseline purposes, Localytics issued a report showing iOS device activations coming in more than 12 times higher during the holiday weekend than they did during previous weekends. The increase was over 15x for iOS devices as a whole in the United States, with the iPod performing strongly at a 21x increase due to the relative lower cost and lack of service contract, factors which make them relatively more popular as gifts than iPhones or iPads.

localytics_christmas_2011_devices.jpg



Comparing iOS to Android, Localytics found that Android also grew at approximately 12.5x over baseline. Localytics also looked at country-by-country comparisons, showing iOS outpacing Android in terms of growth in the United States, Germany, and the UK, while Android performed better in most of the other top countries.

Article Link: Holiday Gifts Drive New iOS Device Activations Sharply Higher
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/12/27/holiday-gifts-drive-new-ios-device-activations-sharply-higher/
hobo.hopkins

hobo.hopkins

macrumors 6502a
Jul 30, 2008
569
6
It's amazing that there is still such massive growth, considering how popular these devices already are. It seems like there's no end in sight.
 
Shasterball

Shasterball

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Oct 19, 2007
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Does it take into account the fact that there will be a decrease in activations during December 1-20 as compared to your "average" 3 week period because of people holding off until Christmas? I would suspect you would see the same decrease in activations before a product release. Sounds like this would skew the numbers…
 
eagandale4114

eagandale4114

macrumors 65816
May 20, 2011
1,011
1
Shasterball said:
Does it take into account the fact that there will be a decrease in activations during December 1-20 as compared to your "average" 3 week period because of people holding off until Christmas? I would suspect you would see the same decrease in activations before a product release. Sounds like this would skew the numbers…
Click to expand...

Good point.
 
T

toolhouse

macrumors newbie
Nov 9, 2004
20
0
Why is Android Always Shown as a Single Unit?

Why is Android always shown as a single unit compared to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch IOS devices. Certainly each manufacturer's unique version of Android installed on unique equipment is a different device. There should be multiple segments in the Android column for each manufacturer with it's customized Android software just like the IOS column shows the different IOS devices. Showing Android as a single column hides the terrible fragmentation that actually exists on the Android platform.
 
aerok

aerok

macrumors 65816
Oct 29, 2011
1,491
139
toolhouse said:
Why is Android always shown as a single unit compared to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch IOS devices. Certainly each manufacturer's unique version of Android installed on unique equipment is a different device. There should be multiple segments in the Android column for each manufacturer with it's customized Android software just like the IOS column shows the different IOS devices. Showing Android as a single column hides the terrible fragmentation that actually exists on the Android platform.
Click to expand...

Why do you care so much? Btw, this has nothing to do with fragmentation?

Gratz to all manufacturers, the CEOs will touch a great end of year bonus!
 
D

drwatz0n

macrumors member
Jan 13, 2008
58
0
New York, USA
toolhouse said:
Why is Android always shown as a single unit compared to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch IOS devices. Certainly each manufacturer's unique version of Android installed on unique equipment is a different device. There should be multiple segments in the Android column for each manufacturer with it's customized Android software just like the IOS column shows the different IOS devices. Showing Android as a single column hides the terrible fragmentation that actually exists on the Android platform.
Click to expand...

If you want to talk about fragmentation of the graph, let's discuss how it's fair to compare Android devices, which for the most part are contract cell phones, to iPod touch sales. If you remove the iPod touch from the graph, Android and iPhone/iPad growth are relatively similar.

EDIT: If you remove the iPod touch, the growth rate for the iPhone/iPad is just over 12x, as opposed to Android's mid-11x level (based on US numbers). Not that I am assuming ALL Android sales are on contract, but compared to the iPod touch, it's unfair.
 
Gubbz

Gubbz

macrumors member
May 2, 2010
64
26
Perth, Australia
toolhouse said:
Why is Android always shown as a single unit compared to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch IOS devices. Certainly each manufacturer's unique version of Android installed on unique equipment is a different device. There should be multiple segments in the Android column for each manufacturer with it's customized Android software just like the IOS column shows the different IOS devices. Showing Android as a single column hides the terrible fragmentation that actually exists on the Android platform.
Click to expand...

Just what I wanted to say... Lies, damn lies and statistics, too many 'news' articles are generated from them...
 
aerok

aerok

macrumors 65816
Oct 29, 2011
1,491
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Gubbz said:
Just what I wanted to say... Lies, damn lies and statistics, too many 'news' articles are generated from them...
Click to expand...

How is this a lie? This news is only to show how successful they both were...
 
Kaibelf

Kaibelf

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Apr 29, 2009
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Silicon Valley, CA
toolhouse said:
Why is Android always shown as a single unit compared to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch IOS devices. Certainly each manufacturer's unique version of Android installed on unique equipment is a different device. There should be multiple segments in the Android column for each manufacturer with it's customized Android software just like the IOS column shows the different IOS devices. Showing Android as a single column hides the terrible fragmentation that actually exists on the Android platform.
Click to expand...

How do you know it's not broken out? It could be simply indicating the pretty microscopic Android-based tablet and music player sales are so pitiful, they don't even chart.
 
I

ILikeTurtles

macrumors 6502
Feb 17, 2010
320
2
drwatz0n said:
If you want to talk about fragmentation of the graph, let's discuss how it's fair to compare Android devices, which for the most part are contract cell phones, to iPod touch sales. If you remove the iPod touch from the graph, Android and iPhone/iPad growth are relatively similar.

EDIT: If you remove the iPod touch, the growth rate for the iPhone/iPad is just over 12x, as opposed to Android's mid-11x level (based on US numbers). Not that I am assuming ALL Android sales are on contract, but compared to the iPod touch, it's unfair.
Click to expand...

You might wanna go back and look at the chart again. It's not actually saying that iPhone numbers are boosted by iPod & iPad.
 
W

whatever

macrumors 6502a
Dec 12, 2001
880
0
South of Boston, MA
What I would like to see are some dollar figures.

How much profit are the Android products making?

For example, the Kindle Fire loses/costs Amazon around $20.00 per tablet.

Also comparing a small country with a small market, like Sweden or South Korea, to the US is kind of like comparing Apples to Oranges.
 
D

drwatz0n

macrumors member
Jan 13, 2008
58
0
New York, USA
ILikeTurtles said:
You might wanna go back and look at the chart again. It's not actually saying that iPhone numbers are boosted by iPod & iPad.
Click to expand...

I didn't say that it was; I said that they're boosting the growth in iOS activation rates relative to the mostly contract-based phone and tablet market that is Android, which they are.
 
E

Exhale

macrumors 6502a
Sep 20, 2011
512
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whatever said:
At the end of the day, the majority of the Android devices are not making a fraction of the net profit that the iOS devices are.
Click to expand...
Correct, which matters to the subject of the article or to the consumer - how?
whatever said:
all market, like Sweden or South Korea, to the US is kind of like comparing Apples to Oranges.
Click to expand...
You do realize that many of these markets though have a much higher per-capita adoption of various IT products?

Lets not forget that Sweden and S. Korea are both well known for their strong IT infrastructure. Furthermore, lets not forget Intel devoted a very significant amount of their SB-E processors to the Scandinavian market - half of the European market in fact.
 
Last edited:
W

whatever

macrumors 6502a
Dec 12, 2001
880
0
South of Boston, MA
Exhale said:
Correct, which matters to the subject of the article or to the consumer - how?
Click to expand...

To a consumer it matters because the companies who are investing in Android mobile devices are not going to see a great enough return on their investment and will either abandon their mobile strategy, stop investing in it or switch to another OS. Leaving the consumer behind.

Many of these companies are releasing new competing products every 120 days, which are competing with their own products. And still they can't compete with the older iOS devices.

Also countries with higher per-capita adoption of various IT products tend to jump from new technology to new technology. The consumer markets, which are often larger, move slower. Which means more brand loyalty (and profit).
 
E

Exhale

macrumors 6502a
Sep 20, 2011
512
145
whatever said:
Many of these companies are releasing new competing products every 120 days, which are competing with their own products. And still they can't compete with the older iOS devices.
Click to expand...
And theres the beauty - you're not tied down to a specific cellphone manufacturer. The somewhat short support durations can be a problem mind you, but software (App) support is not provided by the cellphone manufacturer.

Standard stock android installations can be obtained for the vast majority of Android device - especially for slightly more recognized models.
whatever said:
Also countries with higher per-capita adoption of various IT products tend to jump from new technology to new technology.
Click to expand...
Which means high sales.
 
D

drwatz0n

macrumors member
Jan 13, 2008
58
0
New York, USA
whatever said:
To a consumer it matters because the companies who are investing in Android mobile devices are not going to see a great enough return on their investment and will either abandon their mobile strategy, stop investing in it or switch to another OS. Leaving the consumer behind.

Many of these companies are releasing new competing products every 120 days, which are competing with their own products. And still they can't compete with the older iOS devices.

Also countries with higher per-capita adoption of various IT products tend to jump from new technology to new technology. The consumer markets, which are often larger, move slower. Which means more brand loyalty (and profit).
Click to expand...

You need to understand two things, though.

In regards to Android, the innovation, for the most part, comes from the software developer, which is Google.

Secondly, while Apple may rake up massive profits in regards to their device sales, there are multiple Android manufacturers, who in turn receive profits relative to the number of devices they sell. Yes, while Apple may trump each individual company, it's a hard comparison because there are multiple device makers as opposed to the singular iOS manufacturer, Apple.
 
C

cvaldes

macrumors 68040
Dec 14, 2006
3,237
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somewhere else
whatever said:
Also comparing a small country with a small market, like Sweden or South Korea, to the US is kind of like comparing Apples to Oranges.
Click to expand...
Except for the fact that while both of those countries are small, they have very large markets. Cellphone penetration is extremely high in those two very technologically sophisticated markets. Heck, Sweden has had LTE for several years, long before anyone else on the planet got it.

Sweden's population density (54/sq. mi.) isn't that far off from the United States (87/sq. mi.). South Korea's population density is very high (1271/sq. mi.), but they have 50 million inhabitants which isn't all that small. Sweden's 9 million is arguably small.

Both the Swedish and South Korean markets are good bellwethers for what might eventually happen in the United States, giving that our mobile telephone industry is about 2-3 years behind theirs. Their mobile operators (and broadband Internet providers) blow doors on American telephone and cable companies.
 
Last edited:
Hastings101

Hastings101

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Jun 22, 2010
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