John Gruber highlights that Gogo Inflight WiFi usage reports iPhones are nearly 2/3 of mobile devices using in-flight services, the iPod touch makes up 20% and Android makes up 12%. By these numbers, three quarters of handheld devices accessing this WiFi service are made by Apple.
He also points out that the iPad accounts for more than a third of large screens (which carry a higher tariff) accessing the service and Mac OS machines make up a further 20%. So, over half of the “large” screen devices accessing this WiFi service are made by Apple.
In attempting to interpret this I’m going to make two sweeping assumptions.
- Apple people are data hungry, ravenous in their consumption of news. They’re more tech-savvy, more travelled and generally more worldly.
- The service is an additional expense and people who use Android (and other mobile platforms) are cheap. Or they read dead tree books.
While this assumption may be countered by the appearance of a data-hungry, extravagant and outward-bound Android user, I think the trend holds. And developers will continue to target the platforms owned by potential customers who have more cash, want to try new things and enjoy their technology.