Why do iPhone 4S users consume twice the data of iPhone 4 users?

It just so happened that capped data plans became prevalent on time for all of the cool things that require mobile data. AT&T, the first to go tiered, made the switch right previously Netflix for iPhone launched. Verizon dropped unlimited data soon afterwards the arrival of LTE (Long Term Evolution, latest standard in the mobile network technology). Sprint all in all markets unlimited data, and although that’s as a rule accurate, even it has limits. Now it turns out that iPhone 4S users are enjoying the benefits of mobile data: to the tune of twice as much volume as iPhone 4 owners.

At first impression, this would suggest that the iPhone 4S is a data hog, with its unparalleled features racking up data overages. That isn’t, but, the case. The iPhone 4S’s only new data-reliant feature is Siri, and it would be tempting to brand Apple’s AI voice assistant as the culprit.

So what is causing this supposed spike in data for 4S users? The answer may lie in customer profiling. There could be a correlation between Apple’s most data-using clients and its clients that are most likely to first upgrade to a new device. If your iPhone is your hub for Netflix streaming, Pandora or Spotify listening, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calling, and Skype calling, at the time it stands to reason that a) you like to be on top of consumer innovation, and b) your iPhone is a big part of your life. Hence, when Apple unveils its latest and greatest handset, you may be more likely to line up and snag one for yourself.

What other explanations are there?

What other explanations are there? iCloud uses some extra data, however the most bandwidth hogging aspects of it only happen over WiFi. More significantly, iCloud isn’t exclusive to the 4S. Many iPhone 4 owners have but to update to iOS 5, yet the majority have. This means that they all use iCloud too.

Another interesting detail of this study is that it sets iPhone 3G use as the standard benchmark — an iPhone 3G user is 100%, and all other phones are scored in relation to that. Once again, customer profiling comes into play. Who however uses a 3. year-old iPhone 3G? Clearly not someone who wants to be on the forefront of innovation and technology. It would make sense that this user is much less likely to perform data-hogging activities like video streaming, video chatting, or listening to music subscription services. From that perspective, it’s amazing that iPhone 4S owners only consume 3.2x more data than these stone-age iPhone owners.

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