iPad the gift which keeps on giving
Mobile operator Three has released details of how its new Apple iPad owners used this year’s most wanted tech gift over the festive period.
The figures released by Three show iPads were not just used to play, surf and learn, but were part of the changing way in which people contacted friends and family over the Christmas and New Year period.
The top applications downloaded were Maps, then Skype – as people took advantage of new means of communication to get in touch with friends and family for free - Angry Birds, eBay, Google apps – such as YouTube – and then Sky Sports News.
The statistics might also suggest new iPad owners went on to use their new gadget to help them get rid of unwanted Christmas presents in the days after December 25th.
Of the services Three’s iPad customers accessed in the period following Christmas day, Google’s search engine came out top, followed by Apple’s iTunes, and then social media service Facebook.
Notably popping up in fourth came internet auction house eBay – as people bought, sold or browsed for goods on the site - followed by email clients in fifth.
Meanwhile in terms of the top services used on iPad’s via Three’s 3G network in terms of volume of data, navigation came first, followed by news services, then games, entertainment and lastly travel sites.
The statistics also show that in terms of the busiest times of the day for iPad customers, the majority of people had their iPad up and running by 10am and stayed active until 9pm, peaking shortly after 6pm.
Other network insights show that:
5pm saw the most iPad users logging onto the Internet on New Year’s Eve, as people sent early New Year messages on email, Skype, Facebook and other social media services or looked up travel times or events.
On Christmas Day, iPad 3G data use leapt up by 33 per cent immediately after midday, with 10pm on Christmas night proving to be the most popular time.
Boxing Day was the busiest day of all according to the volume of traffic generated by Three’s 3G iPad customers.
Charlotte Blanchard, Three’s Director of Internet Services and Products, said: “The iPad is an incredibly versatile device, and it’s clear our customers are using it to enhance their lives, whether by staying in touch with friends and family, looking up news, selling things on eBay or just browsing the web.”