Why is Android's web share so low?

> It’s also the case that this last quarter was the first one with phones like the Motorola Droid and Nexus One available, and the first with Verizon on board as a U.S. Android carrier. So, one might think, it makes sense that the iPhone still dominates Android in web visits, as the iPhone has been a popular device in the U.S. since July 2007. But then why has the iPad — only on sale for six weeks, only in the U.S. — already surpassed Android? I don’t get it. I have a theory regarding Gruber’s question above. Even though Android models like the Droid might be the top selling Android phones, those few more capable phones that have debuted recently are still not the majority of Android devices when you add all those other models together. I still think the majority of Android devices are running older, less capable versions of the OS (even some that are just coming out now), and therefore do not sport browsers with features as nice as the Droid. And, more importantly, those models don’t appeal to people who want to use a mobile browser, per se.

Many, many, Android buyers are the kinds of users who got their phone via a “buy one, get one free” campaign. Which means they were handed an Android device. They didn’t go out and seek one specifically. Sure, that’s a sale, technically, but it doesn’t breed a devoted user base who actually cares enough to use the phone to its full potential. And it certainly doesn’t inspire people to buy Android again and again and again.

I wouldn’t be surprised if a large number of Android phone owners didn’t even know that they have an Android phone. Many of these models are certainly not marketed that way.

With the iPhone and the iPad, people go out of their way to pay more for the device. And Apple does a great job of inspiring the public to do more with their devices. So users of Apple devices are going to use more of the features more often. And they are going to continue to be Apple users forever.

Google, in essence, is not appealing to the prize demographic with Android. Certain models like the Droid, the Incredible, and the Nexus One attract more savvy, discerning users, sure. But the bulk of the current user base are the same people who up until a year ago owned a simple feature phone, and weren’t all that unhappy about it. They don’t care about browsing from a mobile device. They just take whatever the guy at Verizon hands them.

Apple’s approach is literally changing the way people use phones. Android is just trying to get as many phones to market as possible. Very different end goals here.