Smartphones now account for close to three times more mobile web usage than their relative market share, according to mobile advertising marketplace AdMob's April 2009 Mobile Metrics Report. While research firm Gartner reports global smartphone sales represented 13.5% of total mobile device sales in the first quarter of 2009, 35% of AdMob's worldwide ad requests last month originated via smartphone users.
Apple's iPhone operating system – which accounted for 10.8% of worldwide smartphone OS market share in Q1, according to Gartner –generated 43% of mobile web requests in April. Google's Android, despite accounting for less than 1% of OS market share, yielded 3% of mobile web requests. However, the Symbian OS, which claimed 41.2% of the global smartphone market in Q1, generated just 36% of mobile web usage during the quarter.
Together, the iPhone and iPod touch accounted for 26.2% of total worldwide ad requests in April, followed by Nokia at 25.9%. The iPhone generated 20% of AdMob's US ad requests in April, followed by the iPod touch at 14.8% – the Samsung R450 trailed in third place at 5.2%. In addition, 24% of US ad requests were made over Wi-Fi networks, led by the iPhone and followed by the iPod touch, Sony PSP, Android G1 and HTC Dash.
