Over 20% of Online Black Friday Sales Came From Mobile Devices

disparate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 06:39 · Score: 0

So when developers focus on iOS first (or only), refer back to reports like this.

Re:disparate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 06:53 · Score: 2, Insightful

Sounds like to me that most Android users are simply too smart to shop on a tiny phone screen when they can shop on a large computer monitor.
Re:disparate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 06:56 · Score: 0

the mobile apps are formatted for the small screen negating any advantage of a computer.
Re:disparate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 06:56 · Score: 0

Uh, yeah sure. I guess that's one wrong way of looking at it.
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 07:03 · Score: 2, Insightful

the mobile apps are formatted for the small screen negating any advantage of a computer.
Until you get to the ordering screen, which they didn't take the time to create a mobile version of, and you can't fill out the entire form because the goddamn keyboard keeps popping up and covering the last few entries!
The Nexus 7 works pretty well (Humble Bundle's site takes a huge shit on it, otherwise I haven't had a problem), but I've all but given up trying to order stuff with my smartphone.

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Re:disparate by BasilBrush · 2013-12-02 07:08 · Score: 2, Insightful

Until you get to the ordering screen, which they didn't take the time to create a mobile version of, and you can't fill out the entire form because the goddamn keyboard keeps popping up and covering the last few entries!
The Nexus 7 works pretty well (Humble Bundle's site takes a huge shit on it, otherwise I haven't had a problem), but I've all but given up trying to order stuff with my smartphone.
Given this report, iOS users don't seem to have a problem.
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 07:13 · Score: 1

Until you get to the ordering screen, which they didn't take the time to create a mobile version of, and you can't fill out the entire form because the goddamn keyboard keeps popping up and covering the last few entries!
The Nexus 7 works pretty well (Humble Bundle's site takes a huge shit on it, otherwise I haven't had a problem), but I've all but given up trying to order stuff with my smartphone.
Given this report, iOS users don't seem to have a problem.
I can spoof an iPhone/iPad user agent with my Droid.
But I haven't, at least not for online shopping, so I can't tell you whether or not that would make an actionable difference in usability. If it does, that might help explain why a phone that does not have a majority share of the mobile market is seen as being the device in use by the majority share of online shoppers: Android users spoofing iOS user agents.
Personally, I'm still stuck on the question of why this matters at all.

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An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by bob_super · 2013-12-02 07:17 · Score: 2

Someone has some hype to fuel...
Tablets can have higher resolution than PC monitors, and be connected to the big-screen TV in the living room.
Are Android and ios really a good indication of "mobile"?
How much of this shopping actually came over 3/4G connections?
Re:disparate by BasilBrush · 2013-12-02 07:31 · Score: 2, Interesting

Or the more obvious explanation that the iOS keyboard popping up doesn't ever cover up form fields on a web-site. The current one is automatically scrolled into view, and any other part of the web-page can be scrolled into view by the user if needs be. Nothing is out of bounds because it's behind the keyboard.
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 07:42 · Score: 2

Or the more obvious explanation that the iOS keyboard popping up doesn't ever cover up form fields on a web-site.
That in no way explains how a device owned by about 30% of smartphone users was seen as being responsible for over 80% of online sales.
It especially does not offer any better explanation than "Android devices using iOS user agents."
Quite the opposite, really.

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An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by Joce640k · 2013-12-02 07:47 · Score: 0

Sounds like to me that most Android users are simply too smart to shop on a tiny phone screen when they can shop on a large computer monitor.
Maybe they used large screen devices called "tablets".
Android dominates the 'phone' market but I bet Apple still dominates 'tablets' (though maybe not for much longer).

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No sig today...
Re:disparate by BasilBrush · 2013-12-02 07:55 · Score: 0

That in no way explains how a device owned by about 30% of smartphone users was seen as being responsible for over 80% of online sales.
The most obvious explanation for that is that most Androids are cheap devices, that are either used as dumb phones, or as tablets just gather dust on a shelf once people realise their web-browsing experience is terrible. Your experience of the keyboard covering form fields is just one aspect of that.
Re:disparate by paiute · 2013-12-02 07:56 · Score: 4, Insightful

It especially does not offer any better explanation than "Android devices using iOS user agents."
Quite the opposite, really.
I'd like to know what percentage of Android users who are not Slashdot users even know that you can do this.

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Re:disparate by mlts · 2013-12-02 08:09 · Score: 1

I learned that the hard way when Mastercard's additional password dialog popped up in a tiny little iframe and couldn't be completed. Result -- no order completion until I pulled out my N7 and did the job with that.
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 08:31 · Score: 0

It especially does not offer any better explanation than "Android devices using iOS user agents."
Quite the opposite, really.
I'd like to know what percentage of Android users who are not Slashdot users even know that you can do this.
I doubt it's quantifiable, but considering that 0.01% of the US population is still over 3,000,000 people, I'd venture a guess and say: lots.
Bad jokes aside, here's the research bit:
Per this Time article, Android phones make up about 51% of the US mobile phone market. If we take the figures from Wikipedia, there are about 327,578,000 active smartphones in the US. If we divide 327,578,000 by 51%, we get 167,064,780 Android phones currently active.
If even 5% of those Android users know how to switch user agents, that's still 8,353,239 people.
That's more than the entire population of my home state.

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An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 08:33 · Score: 1

Really, I think that's less an OS limitation than it is a matter of website coders not considering that someone would view the site with a (non-iOS) screen smaller than 7".

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An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by BasilBrush · 2013-12-02 08:37 · Score: 0

"The most obvious explanation"
You keep using that term, but I do not think it means what you think it means.
Then your thinking is flawed.

Now, would you please, please stop prattling on about the goddamn keyboard?
You're the one that admitted that Android has a fundamental flaw with the keyboard that stopped you using it for online purchase. That certainly bears emphasising given that it's under a story that pointing out that Android devices are little used for on-line purchases.
Heck Android devices usage as browsing devices for any purpose is way below their market share.
The fact that a few geeks change their user agent strings doesn't explain the enormous size of the difference. But it does underline another problem with using Androids for browsing: that such geeks feel they have to pretend to be using iOS devices in order for things to work reasonably. Web sites tend to cater for iOS users. They don't care about the Android market.
Re:disparate by Connie_Lingus · 2013-12-02 08:49 · Score: 1, Funny

i was going to mod you up...that is until you involved Wang-Fucking-Chung in this.

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Re:disparate by zieroh · 2013-12-02 08:49 · Score: 2

You appear to be grasping at straws. I suspect this is an attempt by your brain to cope with the cognitive dissonance you are currently experiencing. Why else would you attempt to explain away the facts by ranting about "alternate user agents", a factor which surely represents -- at best -- a rounding error in the data.
Seriously. Give it up. You're not convincing anyone except yourself.

--
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Re:disparate by dishpig · 2013-12-02 09:00 · Score: 1

Personally, I'm still stuck on the question of why this matters at all.
One platform has a disproportionately high conversion rate in a growing, increasingly important marketing sector and you're confused about why it matters? Do you hate money?
Re:disparate by dishpig · 2013-12-02 09:01 · Score: 1

Really, I think that's less an OS limitation than it is a matter of website coders not considering that someone would view the site with a (non-iOS) screen smaller than 7".
Heard of webkit?
Re:disparate by Dixie_Flatline · 2013-12-02 09:03 · Score: 1

It's important because money is involved, basically.
If you're trying to advertise and encourage people to buy stuff, it makes sense to know who's going to buy things and how they're willing to buy them.
I like buying things on my iPad or iPhone from sites like Amazon. The experience is good and there's not much hassle. I spend almost no time at my home desktop machine now that I have an iPad, so if Amazon puts more money into the iPad user experience, it benefits people like me and apparently has a return on investment because I'm not alone in being willing to buy stuff from them from my mobile device.
It's also interesting. Why is this happening? Is it because there are people like me that are now 'post-PC'? Are those people more likely to be iOS users? Also, I bought my Mom an iPad mini last Christmas, and I bet a lot of other tech-ish people did the same or similar just to save themselves tech-support hassles. So people like my Mom that aren't super good with tech might now be doing shopping on their favourite web device, and those people may disproportionately fall in the iOS camp.
It'd be interesting to know. Are you really not curious at all? It doesn't have to be an iOS vs. Android thing, really. There's clearly a dichotomy, but there's no value judgement to be made unless you're really invested in being partisan about it.
In the end, this benefits Android users as well. This is more a matter of who to target first, but a properly constructed mobile site is good for everyone with a mobile device.
Re:disparate by AlphaWolf_HK · 2013-12-02 09:08 · Score: 2

It does tell you that iOS users are more readily willing to part with their cash, whereas Android users are more thrifty.
As an Android user, that describes me pretty accurately. I don't ever brag about myself except when it comes to finances: I have a very low income yet I have an 850 credit rating and own some very nice things. I buy salvaged title cars that work really well (to me new cars are a total ripoff,) I subscribe to t-mobile and the service is great, and on these same tokens Android makes a lot more fiscal sense: There's really nothing at all I'd gain from switching to iOS other than a smaller number on my ledger.

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Re:disparate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 09:29 · Score: 0

The USA has a population of 313 Million (2012 US Census Bureau). 1% of that is 3,130,000 people. 0.01% of the USA's population is only 31,300 people.
As to the rest of your post, smart phones account for about 60% (Forbes) of US cell phones in use. There are 326 Million wireless connections in the US (CTIA) and this figure includes tablets, etc. Using your figure of 51% Android sales: 326 Million * 60% * 51% ~= 100 Million Android devices in the USA (which I find to be a suspiciously round number - wonder if someone stated there was 100 Million Android devices and the research reports worked backwards from that!).
It amazes me how poorly people understand how to use percentages.
And as a side note, if you live in a state with less than 8.35 Million (of which there are 39 of according to the last 2012 census figures) - you are in fact a minority. States with populations exceeding 8.35 Million (the top 11) represent 56% of the total US Population.
Re:disparate by Joce640k · 2013-12-02 09:31 · Score: 0

Android phones (which make up 80% of the smartphone market) are capable of spoofing iOS user agents.
They might be capable, but do they? I don't ever remember ever picking a user agent for my android phone (whatever a "user agent" is...)

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No sig today...
Re:disparate by Joce640k · 2013-12-02 09:33 · Score: 1

I think 5% is massively optimistic.

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No sig today...
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 09:37 · Score: 0

It does tell you that people who set their smartphone user agent to iOS are more readily willing to part with their cash...
FTFY, considering that the report bases this claim on website traffic.
Like I told BasilBrush, I'm here to make the point that there isn't enough data to make such a strong claim, not get involved in a fan-boy flamewar.

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An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by bigpat · 2013-12-02 09:50 · Score: 1

More likely the report just lumps in some chrome and firefox browsers running on android with the desktop versions. I'd gather that a fairly large number of people are using chrome or firefox browsers under android now.
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 09:53 · Score: 1

"The most obvious explanation"
You keep using that term, but I do not think it means what you think it means.
Then your thinking is flawed.
If you can't explain what makes you think that, I have no compunction to believe you. Besides, you used that phrase twice, on two separate items, to "explain" something completely unrelated. Maybe you're using some weird dictionary?

Now, would you please, please stop prattling on about the goddamn keyboard?
You're the one that admitted that Android has a fundamental flaw with the keyboard that stopped you using it for online purchase.
No, I didn't - I said the keyboard on my smartphone doesn't work right, however if you actually read the entire sentence I said that after pointing out no trouble shopping with my Nexus 7, which is also an Android device. You're inferring shit I never said, because you failed to actually pay attention to the shit I did say. Then tell me my thinking is flawed?
OK, sure thing, dude, whatever you've got to tell yourself. Enjoy that false sense of intellectual superiority.

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An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 09:55 · Score: 0

i was going to mod you up...that is until you involved Wang-Fucking-Chung in this.
It was that or call him Alan Parsons, but IMO Wang-Chung sounds funnier.
Even without a 'k' sound.

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An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 09:58 · Score: 1

You appear to be grasping at straws. I suspect this is an attempt by your brain to cope with the cognitive dissonance you are currently experiencing. Why else would you attempt to explain away the facts by ranting about "alternate user agents", a factor which surely represents -- at best -- a rounding error in the data.
Seriously. Give it up. You're not convincing anyone except yourself.
In other words, I'm "grasping at straws" and performing mental gymnastics for pointing out a possible discrepancy in the data collection method... which you subsequently speculate to be inaccurate, based on nothing quantifiable, only your own, personal opinion about user agents.
Well, in that case, may I welcome you to Black Kettle Manor, Mr. Pot...

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An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 10:00 · Score: 1

Personally, I'm still stuck on the question of why this matters at all.
One platform has a disproportionately high conversion rate in a growing, increasingly important marketing sector and you're confused about why it matters? Do you hate money?
No, just all the stupidity that love of it seems to cause.
P.S. In your effort to seem clever, you failed to explain why what kind of phone people use to shop online with does matter.
Do you hate knowledge?

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An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 10:02 · Score: 1

Really, I think that's less an OS limitation than it is a matter of website coders not considering that someone would view the site with a (non-iOS) screen smaller than 7".
Heard of webkit?
Heard of? Yes.
Know virtually nothing about because I'm not a web designer? You betcha.
I do know how to remove, tear down, rebuild, and re-install an automatic transmission in less than 2 hours. Does that help?

--
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 10:11 · Score: 1

I think you're confused as to the context of my question, so I'll re-word it:
I get why it's useful to track online purchases made from mobile devices (from a marketing stance, anyway), but why does it matter which mobile platform people use to shop online?

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An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 10:18 · Score: 1

I think 5% is massively optimistic.
"I think " != quantifiable evidence.
If you can find an actual percentage (which I doubt is even possible), feel free to post it, otherwise you're just as guilty of wild speculation as you seem to think I am.

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An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by marcosdumay · 2013-12-02 10:40 · Score: 1

If you're trying to advertise and encourage people to buy stuff, it makes sense to know who's going to buy things and how they're willing to buy them.
Is that because you'll want to optimize your sales to those other people that aren't converting?
Because that's the only action that makes any sense. The hypotesis that people's preference of phone model has that huge correlation on willingness to buy anything requires extraordinary evidence, and people pushing for it with just this study can not be serious.

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Re:disparate by AlphaWolf_HK · 2013-12-02 10:48 · Score: 1

How many people actually do that? To be honest I haven't even heard of anybody doing that, not on XDA or other hacking forums, and they're the ones who would be most likely to.
Furthermore, WHY would they do that? What purpose does it serve?

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Re:disparate by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 11:01 · Score: 1

How many people actually do that? To be honest I haven't even heard of anybody doing that, not on XDA or other hacking forums, and they're the ones who would be most likely to.
Furthermore, WHY would they do that? What purpose does it serve?
Yea, it's pretty much unquantifiable... but a variable that does affect the result.
Which leads me back to my earlier points that A) there's not enough data in this set to reach an intelligent, factual conclusion, and B) really, what the fuck does it matter who shops with Android and who shops with iOS?

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An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:disparate by paiute · 2013-12-02 11:03 · Score: 1

If even 5% of those Android users know how to switch user agents, that's still 8,353,239 people.
That's more than the entire population of my home state.
You have to then assume that these people make up a very disproportionate number of people who order online from their mobile devices.

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Re: disparate by iamhassi · 2013-12-02 12:38 · Score: 1

Sounds to me like if your company wants to sell products make sure your website is iOS compatible and you have a iOS app.

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my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Re: disparate by iamhassi · 2013-12-02 12:41 · Score: 1

Actually it proves people with free phones don't buy stuff. You have something to sell? Sell it to the people that paid $200-$500 for their phone.

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my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Re: disparate by iamhassi · 2013-12-02 12:47 · Score: 1

Thrifty? Christmas is in weeks, Android users don't buy Christmas gifts? But that's fine if android users don't want to spend money, no surprise that the people that bought the free phone don't have money to spend on gifts, but this doesn't look good for android to a developer or business owner trying to figure out what mobile platform to release on first.

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my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Re:disparate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 13:27 · Score: 0

Or the more obvious explanation that the iOS keyboard popping up doesn't ever cover up form fields on a web-site.
That in no way explains how a device owned by about 30% of smartphone users was seen as being responsible for over 80% of online sales.
It especially does not offer any better explanation than "Android devices using iOS user agents."
Quite the opposite, really.
Wow - didn't your Kindergartner tell you about the difference between market share and percentage of ownership yet? Or the difference between the US and the whole world?
Re:disparate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 13:31 · Score: 0

Or the more obvious explanation that the iOS keyboard popping up doesn't ever cover up form fields on a web-site.
That in no way explains how a device owned by about 30% of smartphone users was seen as being responsible for over 80% of online sales.
It especially does not offer any better explanation than "Android devices using iOS user agents."
Quite the opposite, really.
Well, you haven't provided any explanation yet why they would do that. Because they want to look like an idiotic iOS user? Because that somehow makes shopping better? Because you are desperately grasping for straws?
Re:disparate by Bing+Tsher+E · 2013-12-02 14:07 · Score: 1

Or, it could be that most Android devices are owned by people who are so satisfied with their lives that they don't seek escape from wherever they happen to be by taking out their phone and 'shopping' on it. Or any other long contrived reason any of us can spin up.
Me, I think it's because iPhones are turds and their owners shop online so as not to reveal to their friends that they don't have a good smartphone by going out in public carrying them.
That's nice and long and contrived, too.
Re:disparate by Bing+Tsher+E · 2013-12-02 14:16 · Score: 1

Just FYI, webkit is what web-using iOS users are held hostage in. Apple doesn't allow Firefox on their iDevices, for instance.
Re: disparate by Adriax · 2013-12-02 14:20 · Score: 1

Nah. Android users just save enough from not paying an apple brand tax that they can afford an actual computer to make purchases from.

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Re:disparate by mjwx · 2013-12-02 18:55 · Score: 1

Actually it demonstrates that Iphone users cant recognise that sales are traps for people with more money than sense.

Android users probably bought what they wanted months ago when it was cheap.

Certainly in Australia, if you want a bargain get it in late June as retailers get desperate to clear stock before tax time.

In December retailers know people are shopping without thinking, especially during a large sale like black Friday. You can put a 50% off sign on it and jack up the price 20% and people will still buy because its on sale. Retailers know that idiots are attracted to impulse sales like moths to a flame. They do the same thing in Australia on Boxing day (26th of December) but you can guarantee when things go back to normal in Febuary, prices will be lower. It's all because people get caught up in the frenzy of a sale and need to buy something to show for it.

BTW, only 20% of online shoppers were using a mobile device, that seems pretty low for all the retards who keep proclaiming its a "post PC world".

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Re:disparate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 19:05 · Score: 0

Isn't this real comedy!
Let's take a look at the report, which you assume measures traffic solely by web browser user agent string...

which you subsequently speculate to be inaccurate, based on nothing quantifiable, only your own, personal opinion about user agents.
Whether user agent strings are the sole source of their data analytics has not been established, but appears thoroughly unlikely based on the other information obtained by IBM's platform. Even if it were, you have no evidence or data to suggest that user agent string modification is a significant factor that would meaningfully change the results.

In other words, I'm "grasping at straws" and performing mental gymnastics
Ding ding ding!

for pointing out a possible discrepancy in the data collection method
No, for pretending that your "possible discrepancy" is somehow more meaningful or likely than the possibility that you're wrong.
What may have been a valid, if unoriginal and totally unsubstantiated, point rapidly devolved into foaming-at-the-mouth trolling. Whatever other stupid things have been said by BB, calling your number on cognitive dissonance isn't one of them.
Re: disparate by AlphaWolf_HK · 2013-12-02 20:35 · Score: 1

I'm sure they do, but probably not on impulse as much as an iOS user would.
As for what a developer or business owner should target first, that depends on their goals and their revenue model. A business for example that offers a no cost to the end user service may want to hit the largest market first, which is easily Android. However a developer who charges a high up front cost for their app may consider iOS. Either that or they may consider Amazon who seems to be doing a better job at getting its Android customers to be paying customers than Play does.
Targeting high impulse buyers isn't the best idea for every revenue model out there. Many things go into it really.

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Re:disparate by AlphaWolf_HK · 2013-12-02 20:37 · Score: 1

I could think of a few things. For example, I think it would matter to somebody who wants to target customers that are high impulse buyers. Perhaps demographics known about iOS users can also be applied to them.

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Re:disparate by thsths · 2013-12-02 20:54 · Score: 1

Indeed. I would happily order some items on my phone, especially if I know the retailer and do not have to make massive comparisons.
However, I yet have to find a site where it actually works.
Re:disparate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 23:33 · Score: 0

Actually it demonstrates that Iphone users cant recognise that sales are traps for people with more money than sense. Android users probably bought what they wanted months ago when it was cheap.
Or they went to the stores on Black Friday, like all True Americans do.
Re:disparate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-03 00:00 · Score: 0

It does tell you that people who set their smartphone user agent to iOS are more readily willing to part with their cash...
FTFY, considering that the report bases this claim on website traffic.
Like I told BasilBrush, I'm here to make the point that there isn't enough data to make such a strong claim, not get involved in a fan-boy flamewar.
Ohh, I see it, Android users who like to shop on Black Friday change their user agent so the hardcore Fandroids don't make fun of them. Now finally this makes some sense.
Re:disparate by BasilBrush · 2013-12-03 05:47 · Score: 1

people with more money than sense.
A phrase used solely by people who don't have the money to buy what they want. It's the classic expression of envy.
Re:disparate by BasilBrush · 2013-12-03 06:33 · Score: 1

If you can't explain what makes you think that, I have no compunction to believe you.
You have no obligation to believe I know what the term "The obvious explanation" means? You're talking gibberish.
You used the common slashdot line: "You keep using that term, but I do not think it means what you think it means." without thinking it through. When used for a term that is possible to misunderstand then it works. When it's a phrase that cannot be misunderstood by any English speaker, then it just shows lack of thinking on your part.

No, I didn't - I said the keyboard on my smartphone doesn't work right, however if you actually read the entire sentence I said that after pointing out no trouble shopping with my Nexus 7, which is also an Android device
So it's a flaw on some Androids and not others. It's not a flaw on any iOS devices.
Re:disparate by david_thornley · 2013-12-03 07:15 · Score: 1

Why would a correlation between phone model preference and willingness to buy anything require extraordinary evidence?
On the average, iPhones are more expensive to own and operate than Android phones, and therefore you'd expect iPhone users to have more money than Android users, and therefore would buy more stuff. In addition, iDevices are simply easier to use and more powerful than many Android devices, and so you'd expect them to be more used for things, including on-line ordering. (Both of these have the same cause: you can get a low-end Android device, but not a low-end iDevice. If you could, I'd expect the numbers to be much more comparable.)
Other things being equal, I'd expect iOS users to buy as much as high-end Android users, with a much smaller contribution from low-end Android users, meaning that the amount of on-line purchases would be heavily biased towards iOS users.

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"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
Re:disparate by Dixie_Flatline · 2013-12-03 07:22 · Score: 1

And I'll end up reiterating stuff already in my reply: because in the short term, you want to cater to the people that are spending money, and it's useful to know what devices they're using for that. Maybe you should be providing an app if you want to encourage people to buy more. Or perhaps if you know what kind of device is being used, you can modify your site to be friendlier to them. Or, even more simplistically, if you know I'm ordering on an iPad, maybe you want to offer some iPad accessories to me before I hit the checkout.
To date, all pieces of evidence point towards iOS users being more willing or more able to spend money on their mobile devices, whether you're talking about apps or online sales like this. In general, it's probably easier to get people willing to spend money to spend a little more rather than trying to get someone who doesn't want to make these purchases to spend at all.
More data means more money.
Re:disparate by tepples · 2013-12-03 09:48 · Score: 1

why does it matter which mobile platform people use to shop online?
Because there are several shopping tasks that can't be done in a mobile web browser, and every dollar spent on developing an Android app is a dollar that can't be spent improving an iOS app.
Re:disparate by marcosdumay · 2013-12-04 08:38 · Score: 1

Both of these have the same cause: you can get a low-end Android device, but not a low-end iDevice.
Yet, there are more high-end Android devices out there than "single sized" iDevices. If they buy just as much, Android should get the biggest share.
SOME correlation does not require exraordinary evidence. In fact, I quite expect it. That correlation reported here does require extraordinary evidence.

--
Rethinking email

Get offa my lawn! by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · 2013-12-02 06:44 · Score: 5, Funny

I would never buy Christmas gifts over smartphone surfing. I guess I'm just old school and like the hustle and bustle of leisurely picking through products and buying at my nice, large computer screen.

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(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.

Re:Get offa my lawn! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:10 · Score: 0

Honestly, as fist-shaking-at-youth as you sound...
Me too.
I've got a 30" monitor. It's glorious for comparing a crapload of products and prices, something that isn't quite as awesome on a tiny phone or tablet.
Re:Get offa my lawn! by Daetrin · 2013-12-02 07:20 · Score: 2

I learned about a number of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales through my Android phone. And in each case i then went and looked it up again on my PC for review before deciding whether or not to make a purchase.

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This Space Intentionally Left Blank
Re:Get offa my lawn! by NatasRevol · 2013-12-02 07:24 · Score: 1

Sure, if you're comparison shopping.
But if Aunt Jennie sends you a link to what Cousin Frankie wants exactly, no need to be in front of a computer. 30 seconds at a stop light and Xmas shopping is done for Frankie!

--
There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
Re:Get offa my lawn! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:26 · Score: 0

Thus, you're part of the statistics.
I wonder if it's because web surfing is still better on iOS than Android.
Re:Get offa my lawn! by Sporkinum · 2013-12-02 07:52 · Score: 1

I only used the PC, as I only have a work supplied blackberry, and I decided not to buy anything. I suppose I need to order a couple of gifts this week though.

--
"He's lost in a 'floyd hole"
Re:Get offa my lawn! by Wookact · 2013-12-02 08:32 · Score: 1

I actually purchased something for my girlfriend using my smart phone. Opened amazon app, did a search, found one with good reviews at a decent price that met the needed specs, and ordered it. It was actually easier on my phone because I got to do it while on a cigarette break from her family over thanksgiving. Bonus: I got it taken care of in like 5 minutes that was otherwise wasted at a family function.

I now wait for the obligatory "Dur slashdotters dont have girlfriends" comment.
Re:Get offa my lawn! by Hadlock · 2013-12-02 08:52 · Score: 2

If Aunt Jennie sends you a link to what Cousin Frankie needs, just find it on Amazon (or whatever specialty retailer carries it) and have it shipped, already giftwrapped, straight to Frankie's door. No need to roll out of bed that day. Leave the stop light for chumps.

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moox. for a new generation.
Re:Get offa my lawn! by NatasRevol · 2013-12-02 09:47 · Score: 1

Did I really have to specify that the link was already an amazon link?

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There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
Re:Get offa my lawn! by LinuxIsGarbage · 2013-12-02 12:33 · Score: 1

No need to roll out of bed that day. Leave the stop light for chumps.
Some of us do need to work, or otherwise leave mom's basement for the day.
Re:Get offa my lawn! by Hadlock · 2013-12-02 12:37 · Score: 1

Some of us get to work from home two+ days a week. And/or do all their weekly shopping on the weekends.

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moox. for a new generation.
Re:Get offa my lawn! by Rosyna · 2013-12-02 18:15 · Score: 1

I actually purchased something for my girlfriend using my smart phone. ...found one ...that met the needed specs...
Ugh, a gift that needed to meet specs?!
Re:Get offa my lawn! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-07 10:16 · Score: 0

If Aunt Jennie sends you a link to what Cousin Frankie needs, just find it on Amazon (or whatever specialty retailer carries it) and have it shipped, already giftwrapped, straight to Frankie's door. No need to roll out of bed that day. Leave the stop light for chumps.
Does that translate to "Android users are so smart, they work from their bed"?

Probably not accurate by synapse7 · 2013-12-02 06:45 · Score: 5, Insightful

Some of my android based tablets and phone are using browsers with a user agent that reports as an ipad, seems to help get an html5 website.

Re:Probably not accurate by 605dave · 2013-12-02 06:55 · Score: 5, Insightful

Yes, I'm sure that's a huge percentage of the traffic.

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Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a difficult battle. - Plato
Re:Probably not accurate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:00 · Score: 0

Can't tell if you're serious, Dave.
Re:Probably not accurate by H0p313ss · 2013-12-02 07:04 · Score: 1

Daisy, Daisy...

--
XML is a known as a key material required to create SMD: Software of Mass Destruction
Re:Probably not accurate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:06 · Score: 1

Not sure if sarcastic. Many people, developers included, see ipad as synonymous with tablet. There are many android apps that masquerade as iOS apps because of never changed code between versions.
Re:Probably not accurate by vux984 · 2013-12-02 07:35 · Score: 2

Some of my android based tablets and phone are using browsers with a user agent that reports as an ipad
Can you clarify if that was something you set up yourself, or whether they are coming like that from the developer?
Re:Probably not accurate by fermion · 2013-12-02 08:42 · Score: 2

This can be an issue. Back in the day we all set user agents to report as IE on MS Windows to trick websites into working. I don't know if something was baked into ISS that made it bork on non-MS web browsers, but it did create a situation where the number on user browsing on IE was inflated. Usually worked fine one the server was tricked. Now, of course, sites like /. have truly awful mobile versions and there is little way to get out of it.

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"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
Re:Probably not accurate by Wingsy · 2013-12-02 08:55 · Score: 1

Man, you guys are just trying way too hard.

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If I didn't have absolutely NOTHING to do, I wouldn't be here.
Re:Probably not accurate by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 21:21 · Score: 0

Yet iPads constitute only a small minority of tablets.

Android data by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 06:46 · Score: 0

i assume the android data is a little slanted due to the fact you can change your client to a more useful desktop view....

Re: Android data by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:11 · Score: 0

I wouldn't say I'm poor or cheap, but rather I didn't see anything that I needed >.

Cyber Monday? by michaelmalak · 2013-12-02 06:47 · Score: 2

Makes me wonder how much longer the term "Cyber Monday" will be relevant if we're all continuously plugged into Amazon anyway and don't need to be at a desktop/laptop.

Re:Cyber Monday? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 06:53 · Score: 0

Was Cyber Monday ever relevant?
Do people really wait till Monday to peruse and shop at work?
Re:Cyber Monday? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:06 · Score: 0

It was relevant about 15 years ago, but not today. Back from about the 90's to early 2000's, most users still did not have high speed at home, so they waited until Monday, when they came to work and then could look through all the hi-res pics and decide. It was pretty serious, I had customers where we had to block off all the commerical sites for the week, and others who used it as a bonus to working there.
But today....I don't see that at all. It is an outdated thing.
Re:Cyber Monday? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:25 · Score: 0

Last week, Amazon had "Black Friday week" deals. They seem to have continued with a similar thing this week, as some of their "cyber monday" deals continue well past tonight (though that might just be a time zone thing)
I used to shop Black Friday in the stores before kids...waited in line for the door busters, that whole bit. I decided I wanted to buy a watch this year, so I have been checking out Amazon's deals, which come up every few hours...you can see *what* will be offered and the time, but not the price. This stinks because I have found myself up at all hours ready to pounce on a deal if the price is right.
Re:Cyber Monday? by asmkm22 · 2013-12-02 07:33 · Score: 1

Only as long as they keep offering discounts tied to that particular Monday.
Re:Cyber Monday? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:51 · Score: 0

Ages. Consider that the terms Month-end, Quarter-end and Year-end are still responsible for periodic rushes in regular business while any idiot knows it is a totally pointless concept. Everyone makes each other crazy and stressed, no one gets any wiser because of it.

So you're saying by msobkow · 2013-12-02 06:47 · Score: 3, Informative

So you're saying iOS users are suckers with too much money to burn. :P

--
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.

Re:So you're saying by BasilBrush · 2013-12-02 06:59 · Score: 2

There's such a thing as too much?
Re:So you're saying by east+coast · 2013-12-02 07:04 · Score: 4, Insightful

Given the response to this article so far? I'd say that this is proof that Slashdotters are willing to argue over what technology is better than to just accept that people use different technology and move on with their own lives.

Slashdot thanks for taking the flamebait... that's their bread and butter.

--
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
Re:So you're saying by msobkow · 2013-12-02 07:09 · Score: 1, Interesting

*sigh* iOS devices are more expensive to begin with. iOS users obviously have more money to spend than brains. It has nothing to do with the quality of the device, and everything to do with being willing to be gouged.

--
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
Re:So you're saying by wondersparrow · 2013-12-02 07:25 · Score: 1

"This just in, iOS users are more likely to spend more and buy $hit they don't need than Android users."
Re: So you're saying by Scowler · 2013-12-02 07:31 · Score: 3, Insightful

iPhones aren't significantly different in price from top-end Android phones from Samsung, HTC, etc. I know the Nexus phones are always quoted as proof that iPhones are over-priced, but the Nexus phones are an anomaly when compared to other similar Android phones as well.
Re: So you're saying by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:33 · Score: 0

Only for awhile. Then the geniuses at the Apple Store sell you overpriced cables and accessories.
Re:So you're saying by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:43 · Score: 0

So you're saying iOS users are suckers with too much money to burn. :P
Pretty sure they are just saying iOS users committed to more sales volume vs Android devices... What it does not say is the "value" in each transaction (meaning the price paid minus the cost of the good) to determine if the activity could reasonably be considered "burning money". Could be that iOS users showed more brick/mortar restraint and instead focused on online shopping due to the lower margins and generally "better" prices. Or maybe not. What i bet (from observed data) is that iOS users were relaxing and buying from their couch/airport lounge seat/etc. and Android users were in the stores using their mobiles for price comparison to vet a brick/mortar "deal" before purchasing, and saving the online shopping for cyber monday.
Re:So you're saying by east+coast · 2013-12-02 07:48 · Score: 2

iOS devices are more expensive to begin with.

Really? The last time I looked at Verizon's site both the high end HTC and Samsung models were going for the same as an iPhone 5s with contract. I could see your point if it was without contract even though the Samsung was only 50 dollars cheaper but let's be honest, the vast majority of smartphone users on Verizon are under a contract.

Even with all that included I guess by your metric if someone is driving a car that isn't a Nissan Versa they're just suckers getting gouged, eh? What do you drive? What kind of computer you got on the desk in front of you? I bet you overpaid for that too. We could go round all day on this but the truth of the matter is that most people spend more money taking the family to the movies than the price difference of a new iPhone versus a comparable Android without a contract.

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Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
Re:So you're saying by timmyf2371 · 2013-12-02 08:51 · Score: 2

My Sony Z1 cost £30 more than my iPhone 5 did the previous year (both bought unsubsidised). Even accounting for inflation, it still works out more in real terms.
Based on this true anecdote, let's reverse your statement and see how ridiculous it sounds.

*sigh* Android devices are more expensive to begin with. Android users obviously have more money to spend than brains. It has nothing to do with the quality of the device, and everything to do with being willing to be gouged.

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Backup not found: (A)bort (R)etry (P)anic
Re:So you're saying by mjwx · 2013-12-02 19:15 · Score: 1

iOS devices are more expensive to begin with.

Really? The last time I looked at Verizon's site both the high end HTC and Samsung models were going for the same as an iPhone 5s with contract. I could see your point if it was without contract even though the Samsung was only 50 dollars cheaper but let's be honest, the vast majority of smartphone users on Verizon are under a contract.

Erm, trying to obfuscate it doesn't help.

Samsung phones are expensive, but still cheaper than Iphones so this is simply Verizon stuffing their pockets.

If you want to buy an unlocked Iphone in the US it costs significantly more because they have to be EU imports.
Apple Iphone 5S 16 GB = $960.
Samsung Galaxy S4 16GB = $600

Even though the SGS is also an EU import as well, it's over $350 cheaper. And the new cheaper Iphone 5C is still $700, making it $100 more expensive than the top of the line Samsung.

But Samsung is an expensive brand for Android phone, you've got the Nexus 5 which are still pretty pricey for Android but a full $400 cheaper than an Iphone 5S. So IOS devices are expensive, a lot more expensive than equivalent Android devices.

--
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
Re:So you're saying by mjwx · 2013-12-02 19:21 · Score: 1

My Sony Z1 cost £30 more than my iPhone 5 did the previous year (both bought unsubsidised). Even accounting for inflation, it still works out more in real terms.
Based on this true anecdote, let's reverse your statement and see how ridiculous it sounds.
Really,

Iphone 5C = GBP 469
Sony Xperia Z1 = GBP 419

All you've demonstrated is that you overpaid for the Z1.

A high end Android phone is cheaper than a low end Apple device.

*sigh* iOS devices are more expensive to begin with. iOS users obviously have more money to spend than brains. It has nothing to do with the quality of the device, and everything to do with being willing to be gouged.
Fixed (again).

--
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
Re:So you're saying by tepples · 2013-12-03 02:24 · Score: 1

What do you drive?
A bicycle. Not even a motorized one.

What kind of computer you got on the desk in front of you?
Dell Inspiron mini 1012, which I bought back when small, lightweight x86 laptops were still available. Affordable x86 mini-laptops went off the market at the end of last year and only very recently did they become affordable again (Transformer Book T100).

riots by schneidafunk · 2013-12-02 06:50 · Score: 1

And in other news, rioting at stores decreased by 21%.

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Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin

Re:riots by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 07:09 · Score: 2

And in other news, rioting at stores decreased by 21%.
Which is a real bummer for me - my favorite part of Black Friday is Red Saturday, when I sit around watching videos and news reports of all the fights that broke out over Tickle-Me-Elmo, or whatever the duke-it-out toy is this year.
Damn iPhone, ruining my schadenfreude....

--
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:riots by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:21 · Score: 0

And in other news, rioting at stores decreased by 21%.
There is zero correlation between the physical density between humans and their overall stupidity, thus this rings absolutely false.

What does this mean? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 06:52 · Score: 3, Funny

Please, Slashdot, help me understand this random factoid and how it can be twisted to various predetermined narratives. Are Android users to poor to shop? No, wait, is it that Apple users are caught up with continuous shopping to flee from the ever-fading glow of material gratification? Is the latest iPhone made with parts that outgas consumption-inducing pthalates? Help me; I must know how these isolated data confirm what we all already know.

Re:What does this mean? by angel'o'sphere · 2013-12-02 08:16 · Score: 1

You are close to the point :)
Considering as some pointed out that I OS devices are usually more expensive than others, the iOS users need to spent much more time online shopping to down to the same price in $/h spent shopping. So if my iPad costed 4 times as much as your Andriod pad, I have to spent 4 times as much time online. Obviously that leads to more items bought as I find it difficult to resist all the nice stuff I find in shops.

--
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.

Someone is saying Black Friday was up 20%?? by Marrow · 2013-12-02 06:54 · Score: 1

I really really doubt that. More likely it was down about 20% in un-inflated dollars.

Re:Someone is saying Black Friday was up 20%?? by smaddox · 2013-12-02 07:27 · Score: 1

Inflation has been very low (and even negative at times) post the global financial crisis. Without some form of government intervention, it would have stayed negative, too, because deleveraging would have continued. However, with quantitative easing forcing short-term interest rates to the zero lower bound, private debt has started increasing again. And increasing private debt means increasing consumer spending.
Re:Someone is saying Black Friday was up 20%?? by Marrow · 2013-12-02 16:59 · Score: 1

I think that is wrong. While leverage does equal inflation to some degree, it does apply force that drives work to continue to meet debt obligations. The QE has replaced that form of inflation with a much worse kind of inflation. It turns the economy into a game of who can hold their breath the longest. Everybody loses and its a stupid game to begin with. And more people going into debt does not necessarily mean that more people are spending beyond their means and living lavishly. It means that people are out of work and the economy is spiraling the drain. The result will be strikes, riots, and false charges of terrorism in an attempt to control the situation. I think its going to be very very bad and it really didn't have to go the way its going to go.

Sure, Apple owners have the most money to blow? by ReekRend · 2013-12-02 06:55 · Score: 1

Sure, Apple owners have the most money to blow?

Re:Sure, Apple owners have the most money to blow? by BasilBrush · 2013-12-02 07:00 · Score: 0

And Android users are people who couldn't afford something better.
Re:Sure, Apple owners have the most money to blow? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:57 · Score: 0

More like not being so gullible and buying what they want when they want. Apple zealots have to do what others do when they do it to ensure they fit in with all the other sheeple.
Re:Sure, Apple owners have the most money to blow? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 08:58 · Score: 0

I see someone that should be down modded for trollish behaviour. Protip: if you are going to troll you check the post anonymously button.

User Agent Spoofing by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 06:56 · Score: 0

I, for one, did all my shopping on a desktop configured to use an iPhone user agent. It was the only mobile default programmed into the Firefox User Agent Switcher plugin.

Newegg was offering a 5% discount coupon for using their mobile site. I spoofed the user agent, then forgot it.

apple users have too much money to spend by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 06:56 · Score: 0

News at 11.

Re:That's the real data folks by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 06:56 · Score: 2, Insightful

Maybe not everyone wants an OS which expects and encourages buying more useless crap. This is a win for Android IMO.

Re:That's the real data folks by danbob999 · 2013-12-02 06:57 · Score: 1

Which should never be an argument if you are developing a free application. I guess this is why Android has the lead in the number of free applications, but iOS probably still lead in paid applications.
Also this survey is only in the USA. Apple products have far more market share in their home market than worldwide.

IBM knows this how? by sl4shd0rk · 2013-12-02 07:00 · Score: 2

IBM calls it "cloudbased analytics" in it's report but I find it a bit creepy that IBM has data from "800 US retail websites". I suppose just counting request headers on a reverse proxy could do it, but having data from Pinterest and Facebook, as well as how many push notifications retailers sent, seems beyond simple methods.

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Re:IBM knows this how? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:10 · Score: 0

reverse proxy could do it
Well, hopefully not, the actual *purchases* should be protected by SSL.
IBM sells a lot of software to these retailers and/or has agreements in place to provide some data for IBM to provide meaningful analytics.

No actually it's correct..... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:04 · Score: 0

IOS did account for a huge chunk more of the money spent.

What they're not saying, is that the IOS users bought the very same items as the Android users.

Up *online* by Junta · 2013-12-02 07:05 · Score: 1

Combine this with some reports that in-store shopping was down (even if including the days prior) and it may suggest that more people are moving to shopping online than in-store, not that revenue overall is up.

--
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.

Re:That's the real data folks by BasilBrush · 2013-12-02 07:05 · Score: 1

Which should never be an argument if you are developing a free application.

Depends if you are wanting to make a profit on the "free" app. Because of course most "free" apps are intended to make a profit. Either on advertising or in-app purchases.

CC in a phone? by DogDude · 2013-12-02 07:06 · Score: 2

I never understood why people think it's a good idea to enter (or even worse, store) credit card info in a phone. That's the height of stupidity, in my opinion.

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I don't respond to AC's.

Re:CC in a phone? by clonehappy · 2013-12-02 07:14 · Score: 2

Storing, absolutely. But why is it any less secure to enter the info into the browser of a phone than any other web browser in existence? You know, the people who have the technology to sniff an LTE or HSPA data connection are either not interested in something as mundane as your credit card number and/or they already have it.
Re:CC in a phone? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:28 · Score: 0

I never understood why people think it's a good idea to enter (or even worse, store) credit card info in a phone. That's the height of stupidity, in my opinion.
A cell phone is a virtual gold mine of information, both financial and personal.
A credit card can easily be cancelled, charges cleared up, and even the credit rating remain unaffected.
Go ahead and try that "undo" magic trick on 90% of your personal text messages or picture collection from the average cell phone after it hits Google.
If you're that concerned about security or privacy, the height of stupidity is owning a cell phone. Period.
Re:CC in a phone? by clonehappy · 2013-12-02 07:38 · Score: 1

I have a passcode on my phone. It doesn't allow data transfer off of the unit until that passcode is entered. After 10 incorrect attempts, bye-bye data.

That being said, even if they get to my pictures or personal text messages, there really isn't fuck all they can do with them. I don't take nude selfies, I don't deal in illegal materials, I rarely even have risque conversations with my girlfriend. Why not?

Because keeping anything you don't want the whole world to see on ANY internet connected device (PC or mobile) is the height of stupidity.
Re:CC in a phone? by Junta · 2013-12-02 08:32 · Score: 2

You mean that data that is stamped onto a plastic card in the clear in the wallet that is probably right next to said cell phone if someone robs you? The little card that people hand over freely to low paid waitstaff at a restaurant who might disappear for 5-6 minutes with your card out of sight? The card that is inserted into dozens of public card readers that might have a skimmer on them over the course of a week? Face it, the entire state of CC numbers is insanity from a security perspective (a single 'secret' that must be shared with everyone who you want to pay that is as able to authenticate the transaction you provided it for as it is able to authenticate any transaction to anyone.).
Maybe you mean to say a phone is a prime target for phishing and/or malware, but I would fail to see how that situation would differ from a run of the mill desktop pc.

--
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.

Newegg forces it for some... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:06 · Score: 0

I've been needing a keyboard for a while, so when I saw one with the features I like drift into my price range, I bought it.
When I put the discount coupon code in, Newegg tells me ...only from the newegg mobile app...
Install the app. "Buy" the product. Punch in the code. Pay. Uninstall the app.
What a PITA.
So, when you read "from mobile devices", remember past performance does not imply future behaviour.

Apple has "premium" customers by beatljuice · 2013-12-02 07:08 · Score: 1

Apple customers have always been a higher "ranking" customer. People who buy Apple products are people who are willing to pay a premium for luxury and/or convenience. Most of the people who get Android phones just get it free or cheap with their phone plan and don't really care about all the abilities of the phone.

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Look for a reason to smile you jaded #*^ *(%$

Re:Apple has "premium" customers by vux984 · 2013-12-02 07:38 · Score: 1

Its more accurate to say that apple only has 'premium' customers, while android customers (and android phones) run the complete range from bare bones to premium.
Re:Apple has "premium" customers by beatljuice · 2013-12-02 07:55 · Score: 1

I think it's more than that. As I think the statistics show - people purchasing an Apple mobile product are looking for the "full digital experience" MUCH more often than the Android buyer. I think that even the "premium" Android buyer is less likely to shop online from their phone (or online at all for that matter) than an Apple buyer. By the way, I'm a "mediocre" ($200 paid up front, no contract for an HTC EVO 3D) Android phone user, and use my phone for a lot of digital stuff, but I've never bought anything from my phone accept software from Google Play, and even that I usually do from my desktop computer and "push" it to my phone.

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Look for a reason to smile you jaded #*^ *(%$
Re:Apple has "premium" customers by tlhIngan · 2013-12-02 09:05 · Score: 1

Its more accurate to say that apple only has 'premium' customers, while android customers (and android phones) run the complete range from bare bones to premium.
But mostly barebones - the premium Androids are a rarity given the sales numbers. Of course, the flagships do sell a lot, but they're vastly outsold by the millions of cheap-ass Android phones out there (who don't sell as many, but considering new ones come daily, do get a fair bit of turnover).
I'm sure a lot of Androids are bought as "I want an iPhone" "That'll be $500", "ooh, too much, what else you got?" (hands over a free Android) "This one is free with contract, and it works like an iPhone".
Or, another common scenario, "I could get a featurephone for free, or this smartphone for.. free"
In fact, the inability to differentiate between Android models depresses mobile advertising rates for Android - ad impressions for iOS users generally cost more (up to 2 times as much for an Android user), and yes, advertisers know that iOS users generally are the ones they want because they spend money.
Hell, apparently Facebook ads to iOS users have way better ROI than Android users
Re: Apple has "premium" customers by SydShamino · 2013-12-02 13:43 · Score: 1

Or maybe, given that iDevices entered the market before Android, those that bought into the Apple ecosystem are further along the post-PC chain, and therefore more comfortable overall with using full-featured mobile devices compared to those who entered the market later.
I know I've been reading this article on my phone, despite being able to touch my laptop with my toes. When my phone dies (it's low) or if I want to buy something, I'm more likely to grab my tablet sitting in arm's reach than grab the laptop.

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It doesn't hurt to be nice.
Re: Apple has "premium" customers by beatljuice · 2013-12-02 14:18 · Score: 1

I think my point still stands. You've just given a reason why it might be true. But I know this was true long before iDevices were introduced. It's why there have always been Apple OS developers, even when Apple only had 2% of the market, those customers were much more likely to spend several hundred dollars on software for their Mac than Windows users, so a developer could still make money. Where Windows users don't even want to pay $100 for Office. they want the software free (as in beer).

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Look for a reason to smile you jaded #*^ *(%$
Re: Apple has "premium" customers by david_thornley · 2013-12-03 07:38 · Score: 1

Another reason to get into MacOS development: less competition. If you've got two competitors rather than forty, it's easier to get noticed and sell your stuff, and 2% of a huge market is enough to make a very nice living in.

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"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
Re:Apple has "premium" customers by tepples · 2013-12-03 09:52 · Score: 1

I could get a featurephone for free, or this smartphone for.. free
It's not exactly free when one includes the data plan that the three biggest U.S. carriers force on smartphone owners but not on feature phone owners. For someone who uses a cell phone occasionally rather than as his primary phone, this adds up.

There's prob a reason for this by atomicxblue · 2013-12-02 07:09 · Score: 1

People are probably using the mobile phones so they don't go over the data cap on their home internet.

Re:There's prob a reason for this by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 08:24 · Score: 0

FYI: Americans don't have data caps on home internet.
Re:There's prob a reason for this by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 08:53 · Score: 0

We kind of do but not really. Like my ISP has a 350gb a month cap. I've gone over without a problem though. Only if I go over like a ton (like 1TB) for month after month would they care.
Our phones have data caps though so most of us use wifi when possible.
Re:There's prob a reason for this by Bing+Tsher+E · 2013-12-02 14:33 · Score: 1

My phone (Virgin Mobile) has no data cap and the entire cost is $35 a month, and no contract. It has a voice-call cap though. It's set up for us nerds who seldom talk on the pocket internet terminal we carry that happens to be a phone too.

whence good old traditional values? by Thud457 · 2013-12-02 07:15 · Score: 1

This disgusts me.
Walmart, and the other retailers, shouldn't be forcing their employees to come in and work in a madhouse like that on Thanksgiving day.
These people should be at home with their families, beating them up.

--

the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Re:whence good old traditional values? by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-02 07:39 · Score: 1

This disgusts me.
Walmart, and the other retailers, shouldn't be forcing their employees to come in and work in a madhouse like that on Thanksgiving day.
These people should be at home with their families, beating them up.
Um... I was talking about Black Friday, not Turkey Thursday.
Regardless, I wholeheartedly agree.

--
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese

Interestingly? by wonkey_monkey · 2013-12-02 07:15 · Score: 0

Interestingly, iOS users accounted for 18.1% of online sales, while Android users accounted for just 3.5%.

Must be that new meaning of "interestingly" I've been hearing about.

--
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.

No different from any other PC by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:15 · Score: 0

I never understood why people think it's a good idea to enter (or even worse, store) credit card info in a phone. That's the height of stupidity, in my opinion.

It's no less secure than your PC. Actually, the average Joe's automatically-updated iPhone is probably more likely to be free of malware than his Windows PC.

Re:No different from any other PC by Zumbs · 2013-12-02 07:21 · Score: 1

I never understood why people think it's a good idea to enter (or even worse, store) credit card info in a phone. That's the height of stupidity, in my opinion.
It's no less secure than your PC. Actually, the average Joe's automatically-updated iPhone is probably more likely to be free of malware than his Windows PC.
It is also a lot easier to steal Joe's iPhone than it is to break into his apartment and run away with his desktop PC ;-)

--
The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head
Re:No different from any other PC by mlts · 2013-12-02 08:16 · Score: 1

It may be easier, but in general, newer devices prompt the user to set up some form of authentication.
The PC is harder to grab, but usually Joe doesn't have BitLocker or FileVault enabled, so slurping data consists of just booting from other media and copying off files in the home directory. With a Mac, Joe might have Find iPhone enabled, but if the computer doesn't have an Internet connection, the kill/lock signal wouldn't reach it.
The phone or tablet, if locked, will disable itself after a few guesses, or prompt for a password. More sophisticated users will have some mechanism where it takes photos of who is trying to access it as well as find its location. Other users will trigger an erase as soon as they realize that it is missing.
Re:No different from any other PC by pr0fessor · 2013-12-02 08:34 · Score: 1

You mean pick up Joe's iPhone {or android} after he drops it or forgets it on the table in a restaurant. He set up a password on it but it's not locked {he turned it off to watch a movie cause he doesn't really know how to use the phone} and everything auto logs in for you. {of course his PC is no better but he doesn't carry it around with him everyday and loose it all the time}
Re:No different from any other PC by Zumbs · 2013-12-02 10:26 · Score: 1

Yes, if someone goes overboard in security, they can have all sorts of defenses against theft. But how many regular people will set up *any* encryption beyond their pin codes? And all to often it will be easy to guess the code as you can see the residue of the greasy fingers on the screen.

--
The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head

Shouldn't really compare the overall OS's by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:19 · Score: 0

Not sure if relevant disclaimer: I work for Google/keep that in mind in case something below seems biased in that regard.

As someone who has been involved with web analytics for a long time now, I actually find it a bit disingenuous to lump Tablets into the mobile space. Behaviorally, they perform much closer to a Desktop (conversion rates, what they do on a website, etc). Thus what we be seeing here is the iPad's dominance in the tablet space/the sales that occur from it, being lumped in a contest between what should really be iPhone vs Android phones, and, if you want a real picture of how things net out, top tier Android devices vs iPhone.

My experience/anecdotes show that even when restricting to iPhone vs Android mobile devices iPhones still typically fare much better, which I've usually considered a byproduct of the feature discrepancy between a top flight iPhone and some of the lower end Androids. When comparing top tier Android devices and iPhones, it's generally a toss up. This isn't an attempt to make iPhones look crappy or anything-- they have huge volumes of what I'm declaring "top tier", and thus do the lion share of mobile purchasing, just trying to add some color based on what I personally see in the analytics space, which is quite a bit.

Sad that we know that much already by realsilly · 2013-12-02 07:22 · Score: 1

So which company is reporting to whom about who did what on Cyber Monday or Black Friday, or any F---'in day? Is this how much every aspect of our lives is being tracked that in merely a few days we know this statistic at all, regardless of accuracy?

Augh....

--
Life takes interesting turns, but the most interest is when you're off the beaten path.

Native Apps vs HTML5 by Scowler · 2013-12-02 07:23 · Score: 1

How many of the mobile purchases were done in a standard browser versus native apps? I suspect the latter is responsible for a surprisingly large share.

Re:Native Apps vs HTML5 by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:59 · Score: 0

Well then it wouldn't be surprising, now would it?

Re:That's the real data folks by danbob999 · 2013-12-02 07:40 · Score: 1

Most non-crap free applications do not intent to directly make money from the application. They don't have ads or in-app purchase.
I don't have any ads or in-app purchase in my email, calendar, banking, music player or instant messaging application.

For adware, crapware and other *ware, however, I totally agree with you. Therefore if I were developing a crapware application trying to fool people into buying fake university diplomas or fake pills, I would target iOS first. I would also sell a "pro" version with ads disabled.

Re: Sure, Apple owners have the most money to blow by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 07:45 · Score: 0

I had my iPod touch for several years before I bought my first Smartphone, a Samsung Galaxy Victory. I wanted OUT of the iOs app store.

Re:That's the real data folks by BasilBrush · 2013-12-02 08:02 · Score: 1

Most non-crap free applications do not intent to directly make money from the application.

I don't agree with your opinion.

I don't have any ads or in-app purchase in my email, calendar, banking, music player or instant messaging application.

Other than banking, those tend to be built in. And in the case of Google's versions, you pay by losing your privacy. The banking one is also commercial. It's part of the overall commercial package the bank offers.

Therefore if I were developing a crapware application trying to fool people into buying fake university diplomas or fake pills, I would target iOS first. I would also sell a "pro" version with ads disabled.

You could try, but you'd either never get through the app review process, or be subsequently de-listed when the complaints come in. No such danger for Android apps. You can get away with any kind of scam on Android.

Meanwhile developers offering non-free quality apps almost always develop for iOS first.

In what universe? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 08:04 · Score: 0

*sigh* iOS devices are more expensive to begin with.

Subsidized, an iPhone is the same price as any other smartphone: "free" for a shitty obsolete model, $100 for the midrange model, $200 or so for a high-end model.

Unsubsidized, maybe, but the kind of people who buy things on Black Friday/Cyber Monday (which is to say, Americans) don't buy unsubsidized phones.

Re:In what universe? by Bing+Tsher+E · 2013-12-02 14:24 · Score: 1

I paid $200 for a mid-range Android phone. Because it was unsubsidized. And only $35 a month for unlimited data, I might add.

Regional thing? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 08:05 · Score: 0

Just curious but couldn't the disparity between iOS sales and Android sales have something to do with how Apple's most significant presence is in the US (since Black Friday is "the day after Thanksgiving" with Thanksgiving being a strictly American holiday).

Personally, I'm not sure why anyone would shop on a mobile device. If they're on the move, they might as well just get it where they are. If not, then why aren't they using a real computer?

Weird.

More Accurate Findings by deathcow · 2013-12-02 08:16 · Score: 1

Scientists confirmed that when IOS and Android users purchased the same items, at the same store, the IOS users still accounted for 28% more revenue.

Re:More Accurate Findings by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 09:45 · Score: 0

Sounds about right to me.

Re:That's the real data folks by danbob999 · 2013-12-02 08:31 · Score: 1

I wouldn't use an ad-supported calendar application if the built-in one wasn't good enough.
Most quality free applications are either developped by charity/for fun or are part of a larger commercial offering like my banking application.

On my PC Small utilities like file archiver, CD burner, FTP client, media player, email client and even developer tools (IDE, compiler, editor) are all free and without ads. In fact I don't use any ad-supported application on my PC. Why would it be different on my phone?

You could try, but you'd either never get through the app review process

Fake diplomas and pills was a little exagerated, but there are a lot of cappy applications in the App Store, like the thousands of fart applications.

Re:That's the real data folks by angel'o'sphere · 2013-12-02 08:33 · Score: 1

Perhaps in second and third world countries.
But in Europe many many people have Macs and iOS devices. In some countries people have more Macs than PCs. I have many friends in Paris, nearly no one has a PC or similar device, the very few who have PCs usually run Linux. Granted, not everyone has an iPhone or iPad, here the Andriod fraction is pretty high. However I doubt the iOS fraction is lower than in the USA, I would bet it is significant higher.

--
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.

Re:That's the real data folks by angel'o'sphere · 2013-12-02 08:34 · Score: 1

crapware usually does not get aproved to the iTunes Appstore by Apple.

--
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.

Browsing versus buying... by Junta · 2013-12-02 08:44 · Score: 1

One thing to note that people looking up items was mostly phone. That is probably indicative of people seeing if the brick and mortar price is *really* a good deal or they would just as soon get the item online. I suspect most cell phone browsing is done in store (which would indicate a desire to better research the purchase in front of them) and probably same for purchases (brick and mortar highlighted awareness, and shopper bought from the cheaper source (this is why someone would get something online instead of 'where they are').

They also apply the term 'mobile' in a disingeneous way. They refer to both cell phones (which people tend to only resort to when truly on the move) and tablets (which generally are used in the same situations as the users would have used laptops otherwise). I personally would be using a laptop for any browsing activity (web navigation I find easier with conventional interfaces and tablet I tend to use only for reading and video ever so often), but a lot of people use tablets for almost all their computing activities nowadays. Some people draw the line at laptop v tablet for things that require complex cursor manipulation and/or text entry, but online shopping is generally neither of those things.

--
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.

Price Checking by ninjabus · 2013-12-02 08:46 · Score: 4, Insightful

People were price checking purchases using their phones, not actually looking to buy online. If someone is shopping on a tablet, they really mean to buy something with it.

Re:That's the real data folks by danbob999 · 2013-12-02 08:50 · Score: 1

It depends what you consider crapware. I consider WinZIP and its infamous "I agree" nag screen to be crapware. There are tons of such examples in the App Store.

Re:That's the real data folks by Wookact · 2013-12-02 08:50 · Score: 1

Personally I wont install a free application unless it is something like my bank's app. If I am looking for a general tool, or a game or something I completely ignore all "free" apps. Looking at the listing that says "Top Grossing" you find very few if any paid apps, and I find that very telling. I would rather pay a dollar or two for an app then have to deal with privacy infringing, ad pushing, in app purchasing crap.

In fact I just checked "Top Grossing" and the only thing there that wasn't "free" was Minecraft.

Not what I thought by John+Pfeiffer · 2013-12-02 09:14 · Score: 1

Heh. At first, I misinterpreted the headline as meaning that 20% of online Black Friday sales were OF mobile devices...

Last year my younger sister drove out to Best Buy in the dead of night to score a Galaxy S3 for $50, giving me her old Galaxy S, which I now use as a media center remote and miscellaneous android device. :P

--

Friend: "The NIC is misconfigured..." Me: "No prob, I'll just telnet in and fix it." *Silence*

Laptop is mobile? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 09:20 · Score: 0

NewEgg sent me a mobile receipt after I ordered items using my laptop through my home router. So, I question the accuracy of the figure. How many purchases were mislabeled due to server errors?

They Just Don't Know What They Ordered by organgtool · 2013-12-02 09:32 · Score: 1

Interestingly, iOS users accounted for 18.1% of online sales

That is interesting - how could they see what they were ordering on their tiny screens?

And for the fanbois: relax! It was a light-hearted joke.

Re:That's the real data folks by danbob999 · 2013-12-02 10:55 · Score: 1

Android has 72% market share in 5 major EU countries (Germany, France, UK, Spain, Italy). Source: http://www.kantarworldpanel.com/dwl.php?sn=news_downloads&id=326
iOS only has 15%.

Re:That's the real data folks by danbob999 · 2013-12-02 10:56 · Score: 1

Because you think that those $1 application do not collect your data?
The only applications that can really be trusted are either because they are open source or because you wrote it yourself.

Re:That's the real data folks by danbob999 · 2013-12-02 10:57 · Score: 1

And which country have more Macs than PCs?

Re:That's the real data folks by Wookact · 2013-12-02 11:09 · Score: 1

Judging from the permissions in the free apps and the ones in the paid apps, then yes. I do not purchase apps that require more permissions then they need. In fact many of the apps that I have purchased only require one or two permissions, generally things like "Prevent phone from sleeping."

Really? I'm sure that's it. Surely it... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 12:16 · Score: 0

Surely it has nothing to do with iOS users HAVING MONEY to spend whereas, while there are some nice ones out there, most Android tablets are pieces of shit that people buy because they couldn't possibly afford any better.

Full sized iPads never leave the house by Mike+Buddha · 2013-12-02 12:29 · Score: 1

Why is it that full sized iPads are still thought of as mobile devices when the vast majority of them never leave the couch?

--
by Mike Buddha -- Someday the mountain might get him, but the law never will.

Re:Full sized iPads never leave the house by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 13:30 · Score: 0

They have batteries and thus don't require to be plugged in when running.
Re:Full sized iPads never leave the house by tepples · 2013-12-03 09:39 · Score: 1

Why is it that full sized iPads are still thought of as mobile devices when the vast majority of them never leave the couch?
They have batteries and thus don't require to be plugged in when running.
The same is true of laptops. The difference between a full-sized iPad and an x86 tablet or laptop with a similar screen size is that the full-sized iPad runs a locked-down operating system.

And what were "all" those Android users buying? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-02 16:12 · Score: 0

iPads:

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/12/02/android-users-accounted-for-40-of-apples-ipad-sales-on-black-friday---report

Re:That's the real data folks by angel'o'sphere · 2013-12-02 22:25 · Score: 1

I doubt that source. Just sit in Paris in the metro and count yourself :)

--
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.

Re:That's the real data folks by angel'o'sphere · 2013-12-02 22:27 · Score: 1

France, not su how it is in business, but see many Macs there as well.

--
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.

Re:That's the real data folks by danbob999 · 2013-12-03 01:01 · Score: 1

That doesn't seem even close from being true:
http://9to5mac.com/2011/03/17/top-10-mac-countries-by-market-share-united-states-is-3/

Compare to MAP by tepples · 2013-12-03 02:17 · Score: 1

I have been checking out Amazon's deals, which come up every few hours...you can see *what* will be offered and the time, but not the price.

I wonder to what extent this is related to minimum advertised price-like policies established by the manufacturer.

It explains why big devs target iOS first by tepples · 2013-12-03 02:42 · Score: 1

Are Android users to poor to shop?

Or to put it more nicely, are iOS users more likely to actually pay for things than Android users to the point where it becomes profitable to target iOS first and Android later if at all?

My Sweet Lord by tepples · 2013-12-03 02:49 · Score: 1

I don't deal in illegal materials

Let's assume for a moment that your phone has a copy of "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison or "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" by Michael Bolton. (Please hold for a moment the Office Space-style jabs at my examples.) You either bought the CD and ripped it or bought the MP3 or M4A from an online music store. However, these are still "illegal materials" in the sense that they were the subject of a successful music plagiarism lawsuit.

Simples by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-03 04:18 · Score: 0

Can't tell if you're serious, Dave.

If you're an android fanboy, he's serious.
If you're an ios fanboy, he's sarcastic.

What a load of bullshit... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-03 04:38 · Score: 0

You're accusing OP of "obfuscating it"? That's pretty damn rich of you. How hard did you have to Google to find the most overpriced way to buy an iphone in the USA?

There is no need for an "EU import." Apple sells unlocked iphones in its regular store.

$650 for a 16GB 5s:
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-iphone/iphone5s/16gb-space-gray-unlocked
or $550 for a 15GB 5c:
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-iphone/iphone5c/16gb-white-unlocked

Nevermind the fact that TFA is about a USA phenomenon (Black Friday) and pretty much everyone in the USA buys phones with subsidy on contract, so all phones pretty much cost the same.

Re:That's the real data folks by BasilBrush · 2013-12-03 06:08 · Score: 1

It depends what you consider crapware. I consider WinZIP and its infamous "I agree" nag screen to be crapware. There are tons of such examples in the App Store.

Which app store are you talking about? In years of using the iOS App Store, I've never seen a nag screen. I'd have to double check the app approval guidelines, but I'm pretty sure they aren't allowed.

Re:That's the real data folks by angel'o'sphere · 2013-12-03 06:34 · Score: 1

Well, as that data does not come from apple, I doubt it has any merit.
I don't live in Paris, but I know a lot of people there. I would estimate that 90% of them own Macs, most of them exclusively. Ofc that says nothing about market share.

--
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.

Allocate more resources toward iOS shoppers by tepples · 2013-12-03 09:44 · Score: 1

really, what the fuck does it matter who shops with Android and who shops with iOS?

It matters to retailers, who have to allocate resources toward optimizing a site for the version of WebKit included with Safari for iOS or the version of Chrome included with Android, or allocate resources toward developing an iOS app or an Android app. If iOS users bring more revenue all other things being equal, retailers will court iOS users more.

Re:Allocate more resources toward iOS shoppers by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-03 10:48 · Score: 1

really, what the fuck does it matter who shops with Android and who shops with iOS?
It matters to retailers, who have to allocate resources toward optimizing a site for the version of WebKit included with Safari for iOS or the version of Chrome included with Android, or allocate resources toward developing an iOS app or an Android app. If iOS users bring more revenue all other things being equal, retailers will court iOS users more.
Ah, good point.
So... Android users spoofing iOS user agents really could be skewing the results in a significant way, by causing developers to spend more time on the iOS side rather than make their Android apps better...

--
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Re:Allocate more resources toward iOS shoppers by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-07 10:08 · Score: 0

really, what the fuck does it matter who shops with Android and who shops with iOS?
It matters to retailers, who have to allocate resources toward optimizing a site for the version of WebKit included with Safari for iOS or the version of Chrome included with Android, or allocate resources toward developing an iOS app or an Android app. If iOS users bring more revenue all other things being equal, retailers will court iOS users more.
Ah, good point.
So... Android users spoofing iOS user agents really could be skewing the results in a significant way, by causing developers to spend more time on the iOS side rather than make their Android apps better...
You forgot that according to that premise Android users spoofing to be iOS users makes no fucking sense because it doesn't make the sites magically work on their Androids, which would be the only reason to spoof. QED

I.e. 80% of people think computers are more secure by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-03 13:00 · Score: 0

Apple users think iDevices are more secure, too.

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Over 20% of Online Black Friday Sales Came From Mobile Devices

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