Online ad network Chitika has looked at ad click rates across its network, comparing both iPhone and Android. It came to the conclusion that Android users are far more valuable than iPhone users as they clicked on ads 81% more often.
Despite the ubiquitous buzz about the iPhone and iPad - not to mention their sex appeal - there have several signs that Android is becoming a formidable mobile platform able to take on Apple. Gartner recently reported that in Q2 the platform overtook Apple's iPhone OS to become the third-most-popular OS in the world. In the U.S, it also overtook RIM's OS to become the No. 1 smartphone OS in this region.
Android 1.6?
But which Android are we talking about? Unlike the iPhone OS, mobile phone manufacturers can use any version of Android - including one from three generations ago, as Dell is illustrating with its launch of the Aero. A $99 mobile phone with a two-year contract from AT&T, the device runs on Android 1.5. Furthermore it doesn't appear to be offering an upgrade any time soon. Dell also recently debuted a smartphone-tablet PC device called the Streak. That device has had analysts scratching their heads over the intended audience as it is too large to be used comfortably as a cellphone but too small to be much use as a tablet. The Streak is running on Android 1.6 - but in this case Dell has promised to upgrade it to Android 2.2.
The different levels of an OS are significant for both a marketer's and consumer's point of view, as it impacts performance and processing speed.While Dell's case may be extreme it does illustrate the difficulties of the Android market, says Patrick Gilbert, president and CEO of 4SmartPhone (via TechNewsWorld). "Android has several versions that are available to new devices, and it depends on the manufacturer which will be used. When a new iPhone comes to market, you know exactly what OS it will have."
Screen Size Postscript
Speaking of screen sizes, Chitika did note that iPad users are much more likely to click ads than their iPhone-using contemporaries - a difference that may be chalked up to the varying display size.
