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Google iPhone usage shocks search giant

appleinsider.com — Google on Wednesday said it has seen 50 times more search requests coming from Apple iPhones than any other mobile handset -- a revelation so astonishing that the company originally suspected it had made an error culling its own data.

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  • wowmacnut, on 02/15/2008, -29/+487Apple makes a phone?
    • Rikkochet, on 02/15/2008, -14/+64Yeah, apparently it plays music and stuff too. And has a touch screen or something. They called it the iPod Talk or something like that.
    • sporg, on 02/15/2008, -4/+90All those searches are from kids cheating on college exams.
      • virtualball, on 02/15/2008, -23/+11Dugg because I use my iPhone to cheat in school :)
        • smackjack, on 02/15/2008, -3/+21no you're just cheating yourself
        • Spuy767, on 02/15/2008, -5/+13Enjoy bouncing from job to job because you really don't know anything that your degree would suggest.
          • eatkitten, on 02/15/2008, -3/+14Right, because everyone knows that the college degree is a sacred, meaningful piece of paper that actually reflects what people do and do not know.
          • skidooer, on 02/15/2008, -0/+6Isn't the most valuable skill in any job the ability to quickly find the information you need and apply it to the problem at hand? Isn't using your iPhone to cheat on exams doing exactly that? Sounds like the kind of guy I'd want working for me.

            Although, if he's already graduated high school he is wasting his time.
          • durant0s, on 02/15/2008, -0/+4Can't he just use his iPhone @ work?
          • HonoredMule, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1I'm sure not being able to think for yourself will never be a problem. The masses, and consequently the internet, never errs, and we should be happy to leave innovation, invention, and new discoveries to the exclusive elite classes.
          • virtualball, on 02/16/2008, -0/+1While I understand your reasoning I'm in high school and I don't think cheating to find out what the empirical formula of a substance that is 25% carbon and 75% Zinc is really going to affect my life. I have no interest in chemistry, so I doubt I'll major in it...
      • Spuy767, on 02/15/2008, -1/+12I know that I use google mobile for a lot of superfluous, spur of the moment, searches to find things that get stuck in my head. You know, "Who was that guy. . ."
        • uidzero, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3Heck, I have ADD. Those are the only type of thoughts that enter my head ;-)
    • tjkisst, on 02/15/2008, -17/+2Duh... can't you read?
    • paradigm1220, on 02/15/2008, -2/+24I read the title and thought Google came out with an iPhone.
    • quomen, on 02/15/2008, -17/+2No, they make iPHONES
    • jjustice, on 02/15/2008, -15/+3Am I missing the irony or humor in this comment? It's a sad day for digg when a comment like that can get 280 diggs.
    • mGARANDEUR1, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1*****, why didn't anyone tell me this before?
    • jesuswuzanalien, on 02/15/2008, -8/+3I can haz applzE??
  • mdfrancois, on 02/15/2008, -16/+504Google has a search engine?
    • newbill123, on 02/15/2008, -6/+136Why are you asking digg? Ask Jeeves, I'm sure he'd know.
      • oOLiquidNightOo, on 02/15/2008, -21/+7altavista is better ..
        • drlha, on 02/15/2008, -5/+11HotBot FTW!
        • dextroz, on 02/15/2008, -3/+10dogpile for lunch...
        • JonesJohnson, on 02/15/2008, -5/+1I loved AltaVista! That was my favorite search engine back in the day. There was another search engine I used but I can't seem to remember it. I feel like it sounds like Expedia or something very similar. ArrrRrggghhh
        • CallMeMatt, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3and before altavista, there was lycos. strangely, they're still around. who knew?
        • TomFrost, on 02/18/2008, -0/+1Lycos and Northern Lights.. then it was Yahoo, strangely powered by Google.
      • centralpoint, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3Hahaha...I remember Ask Jeeves. Let me check if it still exists.
    • dimer0, on 02/15/2008, -17/+26Oh my - @the top two comments on this thread made my frickin year. Hilarious. Well done, mdfrancois and wowmacnut
      • jdh24, on 02/15/2008, -5/+89You've had an extremely lame year.
        • michaelb1, on 02/15/2008, -16/+4no. it was that funny.
          • TheKrillr, on 02/15/2008, -6/+10then some of the funny things here on digg probably send you to the hospital from too much laughter.
        • lharrod, on 02/18/2008, -0/+1I was thinking the same thing.
      • redfan, on 02/15/2008, -5/+6"wowmacnut"
        I originally read that as a line from The Vagina Monologues.
        • KnightWhoSaysNi, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1Yes, something Jane Fonda would say on national TV.
      • Kerrigore, on 02/15/2008, -0/+13Don't worry, it's only February. There's plenty of time left for you to leave the house.
        • daveusa, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2FEBRUARY? It's almost time for my shower!
          • uidzero, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2You must have wandered over here from Slashdot.
      • billski, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1mdfrancois and wowmacnut FTW
    • LaSepultura, on 02/15/2008, -22/+4I haz a cheeseburger?
    • TheOAF, on 02/15/2008, -6/+1Spot on. Spot on.
    • jesuswuzanalien, on 02/15/2008, -3/+3I can haz surch enjin?
  • corcor00, on 02/15/2008, -49/+10http://digg.com/apple/iPhone_users_search_Google_5 ...

    old newz
  • clak, on 02/15/2008, -44/+32Digg users can be sarcastic?
  • illwil, on 02/15/2008, -33/+12What's an "internet"?
    • Jholder112233, on 02/15/2008, -1/+12You killed it.
    • Kerrigore, on 02/15/2008, -1/+1It's a series of tubes. Duh.
    • mGARANDEUR1, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2Dude, it's not a dump truck. I work on a ranch and I can tell you that it's definitely a series of tubes and not a dump truck,dude.
  • clak, on 02/15/2008, -65/+12Just to show you how relevant it is to have real internet on your phone, let me repeat a conversation I had with my sister just last night.

    Me: Hello?
    Her: Hey, John, do you know a device I can buy and get on the internet when I'm away from home? Something that's not a laptop?
    Me: Oh, I don't know, there's this really popular phone out right now⎯
    Her: No phone. I can't afford the monthly payments.
    Me: Well, there's this OTHER device, much like the phone I just mentioned...
    Her: What phone?
    Me: The iPhone. (pause) You've really never heard of the iPhone? I know you've seen the commercials.
    Her: It can get on the internet?
    Me: Of course!
    Her: Oh.
    Me: And there's a new iPod called the Touch that has many of the same features. Why do you need it so bad?
    Her: I was at Goodwill the other day, and I saw a book that I could have resold for a profit on Amazon. I didn't buy it right away 'cause I didn't know if I would get a good price for it. So I went home and checked, but by the time I got back to the store, they had sold it already. If I had had a device to get on the internet right then, I could have gone to Amazon and checked.
    Me: Open iChat (Yes, my sister has an iMac, but doesn't know the iPhone can get on the internet).
    Her: Okay, why?
    Me: I'm sending you a link from the Apple site, demonstrating the internet feature. I'll send it in an instant message.

    • TacticalPenguin, on 02/15/2008, -15/+10Nobody cares about your sister, if she talks to geeks (digg users) she can't be hawt.
      • michaelb1, on 02/15/2008, -1/+14I care about his sister very much. I wonder if I can get her #.
        • TacticalPenguin, on 02/15/2008, -8/+9Maybe his seester is #4 prosteetoot in all of kazakstan.
      • isntreal, on 02/15/2008, -3/+3Yeah, she should totally cut ties with her brother.
      • kday, on 02/15/2008, -1/+5You got it wrong.

        Geeks get chicks, nerds do not. Therefore, with my logic, his sister could be hott.
    • acrodev, on 02/15/2008, -10/+4Also, you can use it to download porn.
    • PurgueFlantar, on 02/15/2008, -4/+29What good would a Touch do in Goodwill? You gonna pick up a wireless access point in there? So she's gonna spend $400 on a device so that she can make $10 reselling a book on Amazon? Wow that's just full of ridicularity.
      • phunlee, on 02/15/2008, -2/+3no man, i respect it...
        If what she's doing is going out that day buying her ebay purchases for resell, that's not the only thing she'll look up. She's gonna stop for a cup of coffee (hotspot) and do a little search. She's not all the way home, she's up the block, finding her price and heading back to buy her book...Yeah, I'm getting my iphone next week----->justifying it. Oh,yeah, also she has internet (slow as molasses, but the book can be in her cart while she waits) thru AT&T.
    • isntreal, on 02/15/2008, -13/+3I have a samsung phone with EVDO.. much better for web.
    • terminal157, on 02/15/2008, -1/+41That story was needlessly detailed and boring.
    • an0nym0uz, on 02/15/2008, -2/+10lame. typical apple fanboy. lamer
    • digitalarcanum, on 02/15/2008, -4/+2lol, enjoy your lack of 3g. she said she didn't want a phone in any case! typical ifan tripe. not to mention there's better internet devices that can be had for what you pay for an ipod touch (the asus eeepc, multiple PDAs, etc.)
    • daxdefranco, on 02/15/2008, -2/+2i'm gonna have to go with tacticalpenguin on this one. she's probably a dog...and stupid to boot.
    • digjam, on 02/15/2008, -1/+2Can you repeat what you just said!
  • NorthStateGonzo, on 02/15/2008, -29/+8Whatever happened to Netscape?
    • TacticalPenguin, on 02/15/2008, -2/+11it escaped the net when mozilla tried to eat it
    • oOLiquidNightOo, on 02/15/2008, -1/+17pretty sure prodigy bought them .. maybe it was aol.

      message me if you if you want some free internet minutes. i have a new aol membership CD with something like 300 free minutes.
      • virtualball, on 02/15/2008, -0/+7Thanks! I ran out of minutes when I was downloading StuffIt!
      • phunlee, on 02/15/2008, -0/+4I'll give you the address to mail the 3.5" floppy. I can never find those anymore.
      • DarkSamus, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1those make great frisbees
  • digitallysick, on 02/15/2008, -26/+3google pwns what can i say
  • remotehuman, on 02/15/2008, -27/+2go-oo-oogle?
    huh?
  • billapepper, on 02/15/2008, -22/+4Too bad for YahooSoft Corp...
  • SRSco, on 02/15/2008, -40/+155Wow, so statistics suggest that people with a Google button on their phone use Google more than people without one? Inconceivable!
    • androo002345, on 02/15/2008, -9/+11I have no idea why you're getting dugg down...it's true.
    • huggybarrel, on 02/15/2008, -3/+33I know! It's almost like when a company makes their browser the default on their operating system, it gets used more than other browsers. Strange how that works.
    • superkendall, on 02/15/2008, -4/+26Other phones have google as the default search engine. But what's the point when you'll end up at a link with a pitiful mobile browser?
      • aliguana, on 02/15/2008, -8/+2nothing pityful about the symbian browser (which I assume you're referring to). Anyhow, you get sent to mobile-version links, just as you get sent to iPhone version links with the iPhone.
        • coolbru, on 02/15/2008, -2/+5If it hasn't happened already, Symbian's browser will be WebKit-based, the same as Safari on iPhone, at least if Nokia has anything to do with it.
          • SteveMax, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3The S60 browser IS WebKit-based for some time now. No idea about UIQ.
    • obijohn, on 02/15/2008, -2/+22You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
    • betterth, on 02/15/2008, -16/+11"Wow, so statistics suggest that people with a Google button on their phone"

      Wow!? I have a google button on my iPhone.

      Oh wait, no I don't.

      But wait I have something for you, a failburger, with a failshake. Enjoy.
    • kdhoffman, on 02/15/2008, -10/+2@SRSco...

      'Inconceivable' You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
    • Ikulus, on 02/15/2008, -1/+13What's remarkable about the statistic is not that they use Google more... it's that they use Google 50 TIMES more.
    • zeejay, on 02/15/2008, -2/+8My last two phones - a Nokia and a Motorola both had one-key Google access, too, right out of the box. Obviously, though, you are much smarter than those bozos running Google.
    • mGARANDEUR1, on 02/15/2008, -1/+3Yeah, we know that other phones have google buttons. The iphone has a bigger screen and probably get more people using it to search the internet. I really don't see the craze in going on the internet on a phone. I've tried it on a full size palm devise. It really does suck.
      • mrBitch, on 02/15/2008, -2/+4I agree, internet on a phone sucked - up until I used mobile safari... and no, you don't get "special mobile versions" of a web page, you get the same web site rendered as you do on your desktop.
        • zeromous, on 02/15/2008, -1/+2actually, some sites accomodate iphone/touch with special interfaces.

          Meebo (IM) is a completely different experience in mobile safari. And yeah, its awesome.
    • m1zl3d, on 02/16/2008, -2/+1I dugg you down because there is no "Google button" on the iPhone. So, your post is inaccurate. Safari does use Google as the default search engine but so does Firefox. There is also an option to change your default search engine from Google to Yahoo.
      • SRSco, on 02/16/2008, -1/+2There is a Google button. You go to Safari, you hit the search field, and after you type what you want to Google on the keyboard, you then hit a button. This button says "Google".
        • m1zl3d, on 02/16/2008, -2/+1And when you change your search engine to Yahoo! instead? It changes to a Yahoo! button. Your post is still inaccurate. There are a lot of phones out there than use Google as their default browser.
          • SRSco, on 02/16/2008, -1/+1Have you used the Yahoo! search on the iPhone? Completely worthless. Nobdy uses it. They hit the Google button.

            And since when did Google start making browsers for phones? You have no idea what you're talking about.
          • m1zl3d, on 02/16/2008, -1/+1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causality

            Just because Google is defaulted in Safari as the search engine doesn't mean that's the reason why there are more searches coming from the iPhone than other mobile phones. It's most likely due to the iPhone being easier to browse the web from than other mobile phones. Ever tried to use the internet on a WM6 device? or a Nokia device? It's so ass backwards it's not worth your time to pull up the app to do it. 2 taps on the iPhone and I'm at my favorites and 1 tap and I'm at Safari.

            I'm not an Apple fanboi either. I don't even own a Mac Desktop or Laptop. Your statement is still wrong.
  • TypeEE, on 02/15/2008, -11/+200Probably iPhone is the only mobile phone that people browse with it. I have tried windows mobile and browsing is a challenge. iPhone is so far ahead.
    • NerveBand, on 02/15/2008, -7/+12I still gotta say, whether Safari is better, DeepFish and opera's mobile browser really should get some credit. They have made a wonderful and effective browser, well worth using. Internet explorer is a pain however and should be avoided at all costs at all times.
      • brainflakes, on 02/15/2008, -1/+2Too right, I can browse full HTML pages pretty well on my antique S65 with nothing more then OperaMini, they've really done a good job for older handsets
    • christophocles, on 02/15/2008, -7/+7I love my HTC Kaiser and yet I still have to agree with TypeEE. Safari Mobile is way way ahead of any web browser available on Windows Mobile, including Opera Mini. It's really sad that the most usable browser on WM6 is a Java ME app that can run on even the lowliest of handsets. WM is capable of so much more, and I have high hopes (expectations, actually) for Opera Mobile 9. Don't let us down, Opera!!
    • nrballard, on 02/15/2008, -1/+12Absolutely. I've owned quite a few smartphones and PDAs, and I've hated them all...except for the iPhone. The Nokia web tablets came close, but still didn't quite get it right. Browsing just feels so natural on the iPhone that you literally forget you're using a mobile device.
    • MrBogard, on 02/15/2008, -2/+4I use multiple web browsers on my WM6 phone all the damn time. Opera Mini is good, Opera Mobile 9.5 will be better, and hopefully Skyfire becomes the breakthrough product that it promises to be (embedded flash support--who else does that?).

      I'm not trying to downplay the iphones browsing capabilities, it's certainly one of the products most appealing features, but to suggest that browsing on other platforms is challenging is just plain wrong. Hell, while PIE doesn't mimic the desktop experience as well as some of these other browsers, it's really not that bad either.. especially when running the PIE+ plugin.
      • Scytale, on 02/15/2008, -1/+3I used a WM device for many years and you would have to be certifiable to say that PIE is "really not that bad." Have you ever opened a non-mobile website in it?
        • MrBogard, on 02/15/2008, -2/+1Yes. I use it to post on forums (note: not digg) all the time, because it's the most stable browser on the platform and I don't have to worry about anything happening while I'm writing a paragraph+ post. I also use it to view digg through skweezer, which makes it relatively easy to view non-mobile pages on a mobile browser, since Digg has links to youtube and google video and the only way to send those links to the streaming video plugin is through PIE.

          I'm finding that the new version of netfront is pretty solid too.
    • olliholliday, on 02/15/2008, -4/+2have to agree, the multitouch on iphone is great for zooming... but the rest of it is nothing new at all. opera mini on wm5 works practically as well.
      it certainly isn't "challenging" - the only issue is screen size and resolution which is the exact same issue the iphone has.

      i suspect most people try the built in internetexplorer and never both to try opera mini. (OMG yes it does look just like it does on a desktop!11 imagine that)


    • bfron110, on 02/15/2008, -3/+2I have no problems and browse with ease on my black berry with opera mini...
  • skunkworker, on 02/15/2008, -5/+10I'm not surprised.
  • Aleman360, on 02/15/2008, -5/+65Browsing is a pain in the ass on regular cell phones and the iPhone browser is way better than the Windows Mobile browser. I am suprised it beat out Blackberry's by so much though.
    • drlha, on 02/15/2008, -0/+30I'm not, the Blackberry's web browser is a piece of *****. I had to install Opera Mini on my workmate's Blackberry so they could log into our extremely simple HTML work collaborative website (its the most basic HTML going, I know I wrote it). Blackberry is all about email, the web is a low priority on it IMHO.
      • Spankypoo, on 02/15/2008, -6/+2No offense, but I log into plenty of sites from my BlackBerry's browser, so your "extremely simple HTML" may not be extremely well-written.

        (And before anybody says anything, nowhere in that did I offer any assessment of its merits relative to the iPhone's browser.)
    • adrianmonk, on 02/15/2008, -2/+13Agreed. There's one very simple reason why the iPhone hits google so much more often: it's the only phone that has a *real* web browser on it. You know, one where you can go to just about any page and not worry about whether it'll render OK or be usable on your device.

      Basically, the iPhone browser is the first browser that has actually crossed the threshold where people consider it usable. And so they are using it!
      • christophocles, on 02/15/2008, -2/+6Opera Mini 4 has advanced the mobile browsing arena by leaps and bounds. It is extremely usable and has become the standard browser everyone should be using on their phone (except for the iphone). I use it every day on my Kaiser.

        However, we should expect more out of our WM handsets. Using a Java ME app as the primary web browser on such a powerful handset does seem a bit ridiculous to me. No cut and paste, WTF? No file downloads? Double WTF? Oh wait, the iPhone isn't even capable of those things! Now I feel a little better...

        I have a feeling Opera Mobile 9 is going to totally blow everything else away in terms of both capability AND usability.
        • nrballard, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3The iPhone does stream multimedia files quite well; with the SDK coming out soon, we should expect to see some third-party hacks which will work around most of the iPhone's remaining limitations.
      • MrBogard, on 02/15/2008, -2/+1I see you're getting dugg down by the fanboys, but just about everything in your post rings true. Hell, my ram limited Titan is capable of doing everything I ask of it. And so far as streaming media is concerned, we've got that locked down too. The possibilities don't simply end with Youtube.

        Now once I get my EVDO Rev A. update and full GPS in the next firmware, I'll be one happy camper.
      • triskele, on 02/15/2008, -5/+2Wrong. Neither Windows Mobile or Blackberry default browsers have a Google button. That's why.
        Real Keyboard + no Google button > virtual keyboard + Google button
      • skidooer, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1What about the Nokia S60? It's browser also uses Webit. But I don't follow cell phones much, so perhaps it's crippled.
    • kjcdude, on 02/15/2008, -2/+1I have a tilt and it isn't that bad, at least the speeds are a hell of alot better than the iphone
    • FoxOrian, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3I'm still surprised how accurate link-clicking is on the iPhone. The link can be tiny when the page is zoomed out, but hitting it with my giant finger in comparison, it always seems to know exactly which link it is I intended to click, even in a dense menu.
    • mbourgon, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2Yeah, the blackberry browser is slow as molasses. But, my problem with Opera Mini is that it runs out of memory and fails on a ton of pages (boing boing being one of them), even without loading images. I'd even say the new version of Opera Mini is worse than the older version.
  • robruiz, on 02/15/2008, -6/+1geeez
  • Armor1901, on 02/15/2008, -11/+3And this news is important because...?
    • jdh24, on 02/15/2008, -2/+13Google + iPhone = perfect digg story.
    • meteorash, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1It has the words Google and Apple in the description.
  • TheScreamer, on 02/15/2008, -8/+2It's past Wednesday already?
  • Ocelot13, on 02/15/2008, -10/+3well technically it could be either the iphone or ipod touch... they show up as the same thing
    • BryanJK, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3no they don't, I've been to many websites which normally goto a mobile iphone version, but when using an iPod Touch it only takes me to the full thing
  • zanzzz, on 02/15/2008, -24/+6Maybe it's because people who purchase Iphones search a lot because they don't know *****!
  • catachip, on 02/15/2008, -9/+16I love how none of the above comments are actually related to the story. Digg users don't care to comment on the fast supremacy of iPhone in mobile web presence?
    • nrballard, on 02/15/2008, -2/+6The iPhone is basically a Mac, in your pocket. Its heavy promotion of Google (search, maps, gmail compatibility) probably have a lot to do with the amount of traffic Google gets from iPhone users compared to those using other devices.
    • Terrk, on 02/15/2008, -8/+2You would suck dick for the new MacBook air, wouldn't you?
    • dajernts, on 02/15/2008, -5/+2Supremacy? They are way behind RIM and unless they come out with another model will probably drastically loose market share this year. Apple brand pulls in the numbers more than the actual device. How many iPhone owner do you think don't own an Apple computer? Very few. They're all fanboys. Apple should go into fashion because that's essential what it's products are.
      • danjwray, on 02/15/2008, -0/+4You might be right, but I couldn't read past "...drastically loose market share...". Lose / loose is my most hated error.
  • InorganicMatter, on 02/15/2008, -4/+4I have a feeling it's because of the way Google search and Gmail is so tightly integrated into the mobile Safari and Mail. At least, that seems like the most logical explanation.
    • likwidfuzion, on 02/15/2008, -1/+5You know you can use Yahoo as your search engine in mobile Safari too right?
      • MrBogard, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2He still brings up a valid point. I browse daily on my smartphone and while I use google maps quite frequently, I don't access google nearly as often as I access Digg, or a variety of other bookmarked sites. And google maps will be even more useful once the aGPS update for my phone goes live.
      • smcl1985, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1not by default though
  • Brian48216, on 02/15/2008, -4/+8it may not be just iPhone, but also their iPod, I don't think there's a way to distinguish between the two when viewed from google's standpoint.
    • danjwray, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1I haven't checked, but I would imagine they have slightly different user agent strings for this very purpose.
  • usingpond, on 02/15/2008, -12/+1I dunno, I tend not to trust a lot of things Google and Apple say about each other, really because they share board members. It's like how the only Internet phenomenon that FOX News DOESN'T complain about is MySpace, purely because of NewsCorp.
  • joel8x, on 02/15/2008, -1/+49I just switched to an iPhone from a Treo, and I have to say that I rarely used the Treo's browser because it sucked so much. It was a PITA to find content on any modern website because they wouldn't draw properly. Safari on the iPhone is so usable that I find myself using it all day for quick pieces of info. And the lack of a proper GPS is really a non-issue. I used to have the TomTom software on my Treo with a bluetooth GPS unit - it was horrible because as soon as I got a phone call my GPS was useless. The google maps on the iPhone is very useful for finding stores and POI though.
  • TobyDumb, on 02/15/2008, -6/+0It's funny, Google still has to advertise their Android phone at the end of the page, after promoting the iPhone for a few good paragraphs...
  • nakile, on 02/15/2008, -1/+15I think the main reason for this is that many people didn't know that phones could do this.

    After all, most cellphone ads are crap. Blackberry ads consist of the phone floating in the air with some guy telling you what the thing does. The iPhone ads on the other hand have a guy showing you what it does. Grabs you attention a lot better. Heck, my dad, a guy who has nothing to do with technology at all, said "That does look kind of useful."
    • digitalarcanum, on 02/15/2008, -6/+1If you look at it really, the only thing the iPhone has over a standard smart phone is Apple's marketing wizardry behind it. There's phones that are about the same price (if not cheaper) who have swappable memory and batteries, capable of being tethered to a laptop for not access on a screen that isn't *****, not to mention 3g, oh and the ability to receive e-mail from an exchange server, etc in addition to having a browser to check web mail. If you look at the iphone you're getting a lot less for a lot more, it's just that Apple's marketing wizardry combined with the reality distortion field make you believe that this phone is god.
      • blocguy, on 02/15/2008, -0/+5Or, the iPhone is more useable for ordinary people. So they buy it. And, you know, actually USE it.
      • skidooer, on 02/15/2008, -0/+4I was playing around with a Blackberry the other day and the thing was a usability nightmare compared to the iPhone. Usability is the most important feature of any product.
      • zeromous, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2Iphone supports exchange if IMAP is enabled server side. Don't cry because your admins don't do that
    • rolf, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1Some phones have the same bullet points but Apple integrated it all nicely and made it usable for the most part. Other phones have a browser but it was generally unusable. I tried a lot of them.

      The iPhone is a significant milestone, a status that 99.9% of products don't become. Still, it's a little too rich for my blood, the upfront cost is fine, but any phone plan over $30 a month I just don't make use of. The iPod Touch would be decent, but then I'd have to carry an extra phone.
  • crakbot, on 02/15/2008, -11/+34Wow, a digg story about Google AND Apple, you fanboys must all have boners.
    • richardhenry, on 02/15/2008, -2/+9I actually do.
    • sabarsky, on 02/15/2008, -3/+14Which means the anti-Apple and anti-Google folks must have sand in their vaginas.
      • dajernts, on 02/15/2008, -2/+1anti-Apple and anti-Google people are itchy?...
    • atticus8, on 02/15/2008, -0/+8How I long for a Goople overlord....
    • betobeto, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2Digg rule # 523: Anything with Google *and* Apple on it is instant front page news by default. Suck it up.
      • nastajus, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1is this like the rules of acquisition. any more?
  • EnderMB, on 02/15/2008, -10/+1I've never heard so much crap in my entire life. I think Google would know how many searches they'd get, considering they know how many people have purchased an iPhone! This story is an obvious quote spun in a way to promote the iPhone in the most painful, fanboyish fashion. I don't know why this surprises me, coming from AppleInsider and all...
  • peterinjapan, on 02/15/2008, -5/+4Damn, I will pick up my iPhone to search for something rather than use the EEE PC that's right in front of me. That thing is hard to type on, but iPhone isn't bad at all. And Google Reader in mobile mode for reading my RSS feeds is silky sweet.
    Duh.
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    • natchiketa, on 02/15/2008, -1/+1Dugg with the understanding that these are special circumstances.
  • HumanRecall, on 02/15/2008, -9/+3i bet you Rick Roll is searched for more :P
  • heystoopid, on 02/15/2008, -9/+3Wow so four million iphone users are looking for a better service provider at the same time!

    AT&T must truly suck as a provider !
    • MrViklund, on 02/15/2008, -1/+1No they don't. Only some users misguided opinion.
  • ci3k, on 02/15/2008, -9/+1what is iphone by the way?
  • ivantalboys, on 02/15/2008, -11/+8HOw many of these Google hits are from iPhone users firing up their browser to see the MMS picture their friends have sent them?
    • coolbru, on 02/15/2008, -1/+7Are those the same friends that are too sad to have proper email that works better, does more and costs less?
    • johnpaul191, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3read the summery again: Google on Wednesday said it has seen 50 times more search requests coming from Apple iPhones than any other mobile handset

      that has nothing to do with using gmail or anything, but actual search requests.
      • Rapax, on 02/15/2008, -3/+2Exactly....most of those requests were 'How to view MMS on my iPhone'
        • danjwray, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1I'm not 12 years old - why would I send or receive an 'mms'?
  • YodaJones, on 02/15/2008, -3/+10iPhone rocks! No other phone's browser even comes close.
  • kronzdigg, on 02/15/2008, -2/+2cant live without mine.
  • liquidmetalband, on 02/15/2008, -7/+2Makes sense really. The iPhone is the only phone with a useable web browser..

    Too bad the storage capacity sucks and the thing costs more than a good laptop computer.
    • sabarsky, on 02/15/2008, -0/+6Storage capacity sucks? You mean 8GB and 16GB isn't enough for the average user?
      • BryanJK, on 02/15/2008, -1/+2considering most phones come with about 128mb
    • aphex732, on 02/15/2008, -0/+5And where can i get a good laptop computer for less than $399?
  • morphie, on 02/15/2008, -0/+5I think it has a lot to do with the usability of the safari browser on the iPhone and iPod touch. The zooming and panning works fast and simple.
  • alanr19, on 02/15/2008, -2/+3Google "culls" it's data? Maybe thats why its getting strange answers?
  • kinglenster, on 02/15/2008, -3/+4I don't get why this is so surprising. Windows Mobile is unbelievably frustrating to browse with. iPhone/iPod Touch are years ahead of them.
    • dajernts, on 02/15/2008, -1/+2Last I checked phones' main function wasn't internet browsing. As for the ipod Touch, it is great for browsing but doesn't do music player functions very well. These points of focus for Apple don't scream ingenuity, just a different focus than Win Mo.
      • kinglenster, on 02/15/2008, -1/+2Ok so phones are designed to talk to people, but why shouldn't the other functions they provide be satisfying too? I used WM5 for years and compared to iPhone OS it is pathetic. Ok there are features we would all love to see the iPhone perform but we have the SDK on the way and the hardware and UI is pretty sound.

        Why do you say an iPod Touch doesn't do music functions well?
  • MrViklund, on 02/15/2008, -8/+3iPhone is a revolutionary device which really have set a new standard for other mobile makers to reach for. Only Apple could move in and shake up a market like this. iPhone is the best phone and browsing device to date so this is not shocking at all.
    Let the Apple haters scream in pain!
    • Terrk, on 02/15/2008, -2/+3It's a fancy Ipod. It doesn't copy and paste, it isn't 3D capable, it doesn't support flash.

      So tell me how it's revolutionary? Don't get me wrong, it's nice, but it is not revolutionary.

      Fan boys limit themselfs from getting to see all the great products produced by many different companys.

      Nokia has been doing this for a while, and apple just made it fancy, and "hip"
  • darkecho, on 02/15/2008, -3/+4Anybody besides me think its weird they pull weather, stocks and other stuff from Yahoo on the iPhone but google is the default search engine?
    • cgruber, on 02/15/2008, -0/+9$$$$
      • diggymow, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3You can set it to Yahoo if you want... I guess no one wants..... to.
  • JQP123, on 02/15/2008, -2/+9I'm not a real Apple fan, I don't own any of their products. But I have to say, the user interface on the iPhone has set a new standard for a mobile device. And Google is just confirming it.
  • maxlightz, on 02/15/2008, -2/+3i'm willing to bet results like this are reasons why AT&T is begging Apple to NOT add picture messaging via sms ... we'd cripple AT&T's ***** network
    • pyrates, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2Exactly. Show me another provider that you can get unlimited data for only $20 a month.
  • WudWar, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1The real reason is because the iphones data plan is a lot cheaper than a real smartphone plan. I bet a lot of people didn't want to spend an extra 40$ a month for unlimited data on there smartphone.
  • senthilp, on 02/15/2008, -8/+3That's coz, Live Search on Windows Mobile kicks Google's ass.
  • Dipsett, on 02/15/2008, -9/+1Easy, the people that has enough money to buy the iPhone, also has the money to go on the web more then others?
  • wvaughan, on 02/15/2008, -0/+12Usability is a powerful thing. I've had other phones that had many of the same functions as the iPhone, but I never used them because the user interface was HORRIBLE.
    • habpro, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3I trashed my 3G HTC for the iphone for exactly the same reason. Best decison I made in 2007.
  • Rapax, on 02/15/2008, -10/+5Oh boy, the technotards finally have a fisher-price phone that makes it so easy that they can google while driving.
    Everyone with half a braincell has been able to do this for years, if they desired to.
  • Stopher, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3Makes sense. The google search box is always there in mobile safari. You don't have to navigate to anything or even wait for a page to load. It's just there.
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