Data & Research

Android overtakes Nokia in Q3 2011 to grab 33% of ad impressions in Europe, reports InMobi

iPhone 4 the top performing handset

Android overtakes Nokia in Q3 2011 to grab 33% of ad impressions in Europe, reports InMobi
Growing 46 percent quarter on quarter, the release of ad network InMobi's Q3 2011 financial report for Europe saw ad impressions hit a total of 15.5 billion across the three month period ending September.

In terms of individual devices, Apple's iPhone 4 sat pretty at the top of the pack during the quarter, with a 7 percent share of impressions across the continent.

It was followed closely by the Samsung GT-i9000 with 4.9 percent, with HTC's Desire S nabbing third spot with 3.1 percent.

When it comes to operating systems, Android took top spot with 33 percent of all ad impressions. In comparison, iOS managed to swipe 15 percent.

Catching up will be difficult

According to InMobi's numbers, it's the first time Android has been able to outpace Nokia in Europe since its launch.

"Consumers have truly embraced mobile and we've seen a tremendous spike in mobile usage over the quarter," said VP of global research and marketing James Lamberti.

"The significant growth trend that we have measured quarter-on-quarter hasn't slowed down, highlighting the need to implement effective mobile advertising campaigns, especially in the run up to the holiday season."



Surag Patel, director of global research at InMobi, added the chances of Android's rivals catching up during Christmas are especially slim.

"Android's OS growth will face increased competition, following Apple's rollout of iOS5 and the iPhone 4S this month. However, the numbers certainly indicate that Android's lead will be tough to catch on a global scale, even if Apple makes gains in North America.

"RIM's OS gained a similar percentage to iOS last quarter, but it will be interesting to see the true effect that its recent network outage has on its growth in the coming months."

Over the pondIn North America, impressions grew by 50 percent reaching a total figure of almost 27 billion.

Apple's iPhone 4 took hold of the largest share of impressions on 5 percent, with BlackBerry Torch 9800 and BlackBerry Curve 8520 both narrowly behind it, each with 4 percent.

Android OS accounted for 40 percent of all ad impressions in the region, almost double Apple's iOS total of 21 percent.

[source: InMobi]

When Matt was 7 years old he didn't write to Santa like the other little boys and girls. He wrote to Mario. When the rotund plumber replied, Matt's dedication to a life of gaming was established. Like an otaku David Carradine, he wandered the planet until becoming a writer at Pocket Gamer.