Android Top Platform On Millennial, InMobi Networks

Android-Smartphone

Android phones again accounted for more than half (54%) the impressions on the MillennialMedia mobile ad network in June, double the 26% share driven by the iPhone. BlackBerry phones generated 15% of impressions, and Symbian and Windows Phone, just 3% and 2%, respectively.

Separate data released Thursday by mobile ad network InMobi showed a much tighter race between the two top smartphone platforms, with Android accounting for 33% of impressions compared to 29% for the iPhone in North America in the second quarter. The iPhone picked up 11 percentage points from the first quarter, while Android's share dropped by four points.

About 38% of U.S. smartphone users have Android devices, compared to about 27% who use iPhones, according to comScore and Nielsen. But the Google platform's explosive growth has recently leveled off. Among people buying smartphones in the three months ending in May, Android's share was steady at 27%, while the iPhone's jumped from 10% to 17%, per Nielsen.

Smartphones are driving mobile advertising. Almost four out of five ads on InMobi's U.S. network were delivered on a smartphone, and two-thirds (65%) on Millennial's. Connected devices accounted for 18% of Millennial's impressions and feature phones, 17%.

Smartphones again made up all of the top 20 handsets on the company's network, and 16 were Android-based devices. Even so, the iPhone's perch atop the ranking was still unthreatened. It generated 16% of impressions, trailed by the BlackBerry Curve (5.5%), Motorola Droid (3%), Samsung Nexus 5 (2.7%), and BlackBerry Bold 2 (2%).

Apple was the top phone manufacturer represented on Millennial's network with 30% share, followed by Samsung (15%), BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (12%), HTC (10%), and Motorola (9%).

On the applications front, Apple's iOS platform also drove half (49%) of in-app ad revenue versus 41% for Android. Apple pulled ahead again in June after Android had narrowed the gap in May, at 45% to 43%. BlackBerry devices accounted for 9% of in-app ad revenue.

Gaming applications were the leading application category in the second quarter with 27% of impressions. Music and entertainment, social networking, communications, and weather were among the other top app segments.

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