Now it comes out Apple devices are Data Hogs gobbling up bandwidth worse than all others!....:Eek:
Why do iPhone 4S users consume twice the data of iPhone 4 users?
Jan. 7, 2012 (11:03 am) By: Will Shanklin
It just so happened that capped data plans became prevalent just in time for all of the cool things that require mobile data. AT&T, the first to go tiered, made the switch right before Netflix for iPhone launched. Verizon dropped unlimited data soon after the arrival of LTE. Sprint still markets unlimited data, and though that’s mostly accurate, even it has limits. Now it turns out that iPhone 4S users are enjoying the benefits of mobile data: to the tune of twice as much volume as iPhone 4 owners.
At first impression, this would suggest that the iPhone 4S is a data hog, with its unique features racking up data overages. That isn’t, however, the case. The iPhone 4S’s only new data-reliant feature is Siri, and it would be tempting to brand Apple’s AI voice assistant as the culprit.
Siri, however, doesn’t use much data. A recent study by Ars Technica revealed that an array of Siri requests averaged a mere 95KB per query. Even if you asked Siri for 100 pieces of advice every day (none of which were done while on WiFi), it would only total an extra 285MB of data per month. I doubt anyone uses Siri that frequently — most people will use the service much less than that.
So what is causing this supposed spike in data for 4S users? The answer may lie in customer profiling. There could be a correlation between Apple’s most data-using customers and its customers that are most likely to first upgrade to a new device. If your iPhone is your hub for Netflix streaming, Pandora or Spotify listening, VoIP calling, and Skype calling, then it stands to reason that a) you like to be on top of consumer technology, and b) your iPhone is a big part of your life. Hence, when Apple unveils its latest and greatest handset, you may be more likely to line up (or order online) and snag one for yourself.
What other explanations are there? iCloud uses some extra data, but the most bandwidth hogging aspects of it (device backups) only happen over WiFi. More significantly, iCloud isn’t exclusive to the 4S. Many iPhone 4 owners have yet to update to iOS 5, but the majority have. This means that they all use iCloud too.
Another interesting detail of this study is that it sets iPhone 3G use as the standard benchmark — an iPhone 3G user is 100%, and all other phones are scored in relation to that. Once again, customer profiling comes into play. Who still uses a 3. year-old iPhone 3G? Obviously not someone who wants to be on the forefront of technology and innovation. It would make sense that this user is much less likely to perform data-hogging activities like video streaming, video chatting, or listening to music subscription services. From that perspective, it’s amazing that iPhone 4S owners only consume 3.2x more data than these stone-age iPhone owners.
Why do iPhone 4S users consume twice the data of iPhone 4 users?
Jan. 7, 2012 (11:03 am) By: Will Shanklin
It just so happened that capped data plans became prevalent just in time for all of the cool things that require mobile data. AT&T, the first to go tiered, made the switch right before Netflix for iPhone launched. Verizon dropped unlimited data soon after the arrival of LTE. Sprint still markets unlimited data, and though that’s mostly accurate, even it has limits. Now it turns out that iPhone 4S users are enjoying the benefits of mobile data: to the tune of twice as much volume as iPhone 4 owners.
At first impression, this would suggest that the iPhone 4S is a data hog, with its unique features racking up data overages. That isn’t, however, the case. The iPhone 4S’s only new data-reliant feature is Siri, and it would be tempting to brand Apple’s AI voice assistant as the culprit.
Siri, however, doesn’t use much data. A recent study by Ars Technica revealed that an array of Siri requests averaged a mere 95KB per query. Even if you asked Siri for 100 pieces of advice every day (none of which were done while on WiFi), it would only total an extra 285MB of data per month. I doubt anyone uses Siri that frequently — most people will use the service much less than that.
So what is causing this supposed spike in data for 4S users? The answer may lie in customer profiling. There could be a correlation between Apple’s most data-using customers and its customers that are most likely to first upgrade to a new device. If your iPhone is your hub for Netflix streaming, Pandora or Spotify listening, VoIP calling, and Skype calling, then it stands to reason that a) you like to be on top of consumer technology, and b) your iPhone is a big part of your life. Hence, when Apple unveils its latest and greatest handset, you may be more likely to line up (or order online) and snag one for yourself.
What other explanations are there? iCloud uses some extra data, but the most bandwidth hogging aspects of it (device backups) only happen over WiFi. More significantly, iCloud isn’t exclusive to the 4S. Many iPhone 4 owners have yet to update to iOS 5, but the majority have. This means that they all use iCloud too.
Another interesting detail of this study is that it sets iPhone 3G use as the standard benchmark — an iPhone 3G user is 100%, and all other phones are scored in relation to that. Once again, customer profiling comes into play. Who still uses a 3. year-old iPhone 3G? Obviously not someone who wants to be on the forefront of technology and innovation. It would make sense that this user is much less likely to perform data-hogging activities like video streaming, video chatting, or listening to music subscription services. From that perspective, it’s amazing that iPhone 4S owners only consume 3.2x more data than these stone-age iPhone owners.
