iOS tops Android for Web browsing in U.S. and other developed nations

But Android Web browsing is greater in 67 of 101 countries, according to dotMobi data

Android smartphones from all manufacturers make up nearly 80 percent of all smartphones recently sold worldwide, but Apple's iPhone and iPad still dominate when it comes to Web browsing in the U.S. and other highly developed countries.

In the U.S., about 62 percent of all mobile Web browsing in the last year came from iOS smartphones and tablets, according to dotMobi, a Web consulting and Web data measurement firm. The company measured billions of Web sites visited by smartphones and tablets in 101 countries, including the most developed ones.

Overall, iOS devices were used most often for browsing in 34 of the 101 countries measured; Android dominated in 67 nations.

The percentage of mobile users browsing the Web with iOS devices was higher in several nations than in the U.S. In the UK and France, that figure was 65 percent; in Japan, 68 percent; in Canada, 73 percent; and in Australia, 74 percent.

Meanwhile, Android smartphones and tablets are used more often for browsing in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, including Spain (56 percent) and Germany and India (both at 58 percent). Macedonia was strongest for Android usage, at nearly 91 percent, while South Korea -- home of big Android device maker Samsung -- had 74 percent of users browsing with Android.

Eileen O'Sullivan, the chief operating officer of dotMobi, said that Apple still maintains a stronghold across major markets in the world, but added, "its dominance is not guaranteed." She said that while Apple is still considered an "aspirational brand," its relatively high prices compared to Android smartphones and tablets could cost it market share in the countries where it leads.

All of dotMobi's data is freely available on the Web, but users must register to see it.

The company provides maps that rank browsing by OS, even a specific device, and clicking on a country will show the percentage of use for that device in that country. For the U.S., Apple's 62 percent share of Web browsing by iPhone and iPad compares to about 19 percent for Samsung devices and less than 4 percent each for Motorola, LG HTC, BlackBerry, Nokia and others.

In China, nearly 49.5 percent of Web browsing is done via iOS devices, with the remainder shared by Android devices from various brands, including Samsung (11 percent), HTC (9 percent), Huawei (6 percent) and Lenovo (3 percent).

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Microsoft and Google don't like Android-Windows hybrids

The companies are OK with dual-OS mobile devices, but they aren't happy with the idea of sharing space on a PC

Microsoft may be comfortable with Windows Phone and Android splitting time on a single phone, but when it comes to PCs, fuhgeddaboutit. Google also isn't too thrilled with the idea of Frankenstein Android-Windows computers, and at least one PC maker may have to dump the hybrid devices from their lineup as a result.

Asus, makers of the Transformer AiO P1801 and P1802, is reportedly being forced to put the kibosh on its year-old all-in-one-slash-tablet PCs. What's more, the anticipated Transformer Book Duet TD300 shown off at CES in January is also headed for the scrap heap, according toThe Wall Street Journal.

These devices run Windows when they're in PC mode. Slide out the AIO's screen or flip the laptop into a tablet, however, and boom! You've got an Android slate. The concept is theoretically appealing to users since you get the best of both worlds in one device, but Microsoft and Google apparently weren't pleased.

It's easy to understand why Microsoft wouldn't want devices like this to catch on. The company is struggling to get users to adopt Windows 8.1, an OS designed with two interfaces: One for the traditional desktop and one for touchscreen devices. A convertible PC that switches from Windows 8.1 to Android instead of from the Windows desktop to the modern UI Windows Start screen would undermine the entire Windows 8 concept.

Google grimaces
Google's opposition is a little more curious. The Journal's report suggests Google simply didn't want Android sharing space with another OS.

But as far as we know, Google never objected to Canonical's concept for a hybrid Android-Ubuntu phone, and Huawei plans on bringing an Android-Windows Phone hybrid device to the U.S. in the coming months.

PCs are different, however, and perhaps Google simply didn't like the idea of Android playing a complementary role to Windows on a PC.

Google can't stop a company from using the open source version of Android in its devices. But the search giant can clamp down on any company that wants to access Google's online services on Android. Those apps and services -- such as Gmail, Maps, and Google Play itself -- aren't part of the open source version of Android and require striking a business deal with Google before they're pre-loaded on a device.

The reported objections from Google and Microsoft are a little late to the game. The Asus P1801 and P1802 were introduced more than a year ago, and Samsung announced another Android-Windows PC, the Ativ Q, in 2013 (though it has yet to ship).

However, chipmakers AMD and Intel are both backing the dual-OS concept as a way to get their processors into more and more devices, and hybrid devices were a noticeable trend at this year's CES and Mobile World Conference shows.

The devil's in the details
Even with all the attention, a truly compelling Windows-Android hybrid has yet to appear.

Asus' dual OS all-in-ones weren't entirely practical. In tablet mode the device's 5.73-pound, 18-inch screen meant it wasn't a tablet you'd want to throw in your backpack. The plus $1,000 starting price tag didn't help much either.

The Asus Transformer Book Trio, another Android-Windows hybrid introduced in 2013, was a low-powered Atom device that would only appeal to a select group of users.

The lightweight Duet TD300, however, would have had much broader appeal thanks to its Intel Core processor, 4GB RAM, and up to 1TB of onboard storage--but according to the Journal we'll never find out just how appealing the TD300 would have been. 

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