For The First Time Ever, Android Is Beating iOS In Web Usage

Apple has lost yet another battle to Android.

According to the latest data from Net Applications (via 9to5Mac), Android usage is now higher than iOS, Apple's iPhone and iPad operating system. Net Applications measures web traffic across 160 million monthly visits.

For the longest time, Apple CEO Tim Cook would mock Android - Android tablets in particular - by saying no one uses them. Last year he said, "I don't know what these other tablets are doing. They must be in warehouses, or on store shelves, or maybe in somebody's bottom drawer!"

But, he can't make fun of Android any more. Web traffic to Android is higher than iOS for the first time in history. This shows that Android users are getting more engaged with their devices, using them more and more.

What does this mean for Apple in the long run? It's hard to say. Android has been clobbering iOS in market share for years now, but Apple has been fine.

Apple is still minting cash, and the iPhone business continues to grow at a double digit pace on annual basis.

The risk for Apple in any of these situations is that developers abandon the platform for Android, which has more users, and, now, a more engaged user base. If Apple loses developer interest, then it will have worse applications, and iOS becomes a second-tier platform.

Apple has hundreds of millions of users and millions of developers. There are no signs that developers are getting bored with the platform.

So, this is mostly just an embarrassment for Apple right now.