As if one needed any more verification that people are obsessed with their iPhones, there’s this: the new iPhone 4S, locked and loaded with voice assistant Siri and other new features, uses twice as much data as the last iPhone model. It also manages to use up more data than the iPad.
While there are many factors, Siri, with which people can write text messages or look up songs without touching a thing, is the big data consumer.
This is bedeviling for wireless service providers who already have problems providing enough spectrum.
Verizon, AT&T and the other telecommunications companies are working on building faster networks, but the continued evolution of phones is a constant strain.
Complicating matters more, the iPhone is flying off the shelves.
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A blog post Thursday from BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk predicted that Apple sold 35 million iPhones in the first quarter, ending December. He had estimated 30 million back in December, but boosted the numbers when Verizon revealed on Wednesday that it sold 4.2 million iPhones in the fourth quarter — more than twice its tally in the previous quarter.
Piecyk noted “particularly strong demand” in the U.S. and estimated that Apple will sell 125 million iPhones in 2012. The previous prediction was 107 million.
So, to summarize, more iPhones than ever are getting sold, and each iPhone is gobbling up way more data than any before. Sounds like the telecom companies have their work cut out for them.