Analyst: Competition heating up for Apple
March 18, 2016
Fresh Adobe Digital Index (ADI) analysis reveals some interesting developments in both smartphone and desktop browsing, as well as in share of TV Everywhere viewing over the past year.
For one, Chrome smartphone browsing is growing at a quicker pace than Safari smartphone browsing, according to ADI. This increase in Chrome use is taking place on both Android and iOS devices, which is surprising since Safari is the default browser on iOS devices.
“iPhone users have to go out of their way to download the Chrome browser,” said Adam Lloyd, an analyst at ADI. “The fact that people are actually doing so is a sign that Chrome offers an experience consumers are interested in.”
According to the analysis, Chrome use via smartphones has grown 75 per cent year over year (YoY), while Safari’s grew 33 per cent in the same period.
In general, iOS device users, both iPhone and iPad users, showed an inclination toward Safari and Chrome, with both browsers seeing a YoY increase in visits. Safari increased 34 per cent YoY and Chrome increased 19 per cent YoY.
To complement the analytics, ADI surveyed 1,000 US consumers to find out their browser preferences on smartphones. While most respondents whose primary smartphone runs iOS said they prefer Safari (43 per cent), 33 per cent prefer Chrome, leaving a small gap between Google and Apple. Android users prefer Chrome by a larger margin than iOS users and Safari.
“Google has smartly positioned itself with the Chrome application and reinforced consumers’ desire to use an integrated multi-device browser,” Lloyd said.
On the desktop, OSX visits are down 5 per cent YoY. This decrease is on par with the overall market as consumers continue to browse more on mobile devices.
As for TV Everywhere, Apple’s share of authenticated viewing on Apple TV has dropped 8 per cent since August 2015. Roku gained 4 per cent share in the same period. According to Lloyd, 4K TV support can be competitive differentiator.
“Samsung 4K TVs were one of the top sellers in Adobe Digital Index’s 2015 Holiday Shopping Prediction Report,” Lloyd said. “Roku’s latest device supports streaming up to 4K, which may be helping drive their gains in authenticated viewing.”
As Apple’s expected March 21 product release nears, rumours abound. ADI measured Apple’s recent global net sentiment and found it had dropped across North America, Europe, and APAC. Of the rumoured products to be revealed, the iPhone SE is seeing the most social buzz.