The iconic iPhone has taken a 24pc share of the global browser market, followed by Opera with 22pc and Nokia with 18pc.
According to figures released today by StatCounter, the iPod touch has a 14pc share of the mobile browser market, followed by BlackBerry with 5.8pc and Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) with 3.4pc.
“We are talking about nothing less than a global phenomenon here,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO and founder, StatCounter.
“Apple through the iPhone and iPod touch is making mobile internet browsing accessible to the masses. Globally, the iPhone has been consistently ahead of Opera since mid-February.”
In Ireland, the iPhone and iPod touch are now taking 30pc and 28pc respectively of the market. Nokia, formerly the market leader, has 20pc followed by Opera (12pc) and Sony Ericsson (4pc).
In North America, StatCounter finds that Apple is starting to dominate the mobile browser market. iPhone has 36.5pc, followed by iPod touch with 25pc. BlackBerry has 13pc and Sony PSP 6pc.
In the UK, the iPhone and iPod touch also lead the market with 31pc and 20pc respectively. This is followed by Nokia (13pc), BlackBerry (9.6pc) and Opera (7.5pc). Sony PSP has 6pc of the mobile browser market in the UK.
The StatCounter research data is based on four billion page loads per month. Other regional and country breakdowns can be viewed at: http://gs.statcounter.com.
In related news StatCounter has introduced a free global Stats Tool that helps media, analysts, researchers, bloggers and members of the public monitor internet market-share battles.
The service currently records market share of search engines, browsers and operating systems, including mobile.
StatCounter Global Stats will monitor issues such as how Google’s new browser Chrome is doing against Microsoft Internet Explorer, or how the iPhone is succeeding against traditional market leader Nokia in the mobile browser market.
The data is currently updated approximately five times per day. Users, who do not need to be one of StatCounter’s two million members, can sign on for alerts, as well as customise and download charts.
“As we track billions of page loads every month, we realised we were sitting on a huge database of cumulative market information that we have decided to make available to all for free,” Cullen explained.
“We have spent the last year developing the analysis tool, and believe it will be a valuable resource to a wide audience from media to analysts.”
While there is no charge for use of the data or charts, Cullen insists that users must reference StatCounter as the source.
By John Kennedy
