Only three weeks ago the iPhone was on course to become the most popular camera on Flickr. It had been just below the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi for several weeks but now iPhone usage on Flickr, as measured by Flickr’s own data, has started to fall off dramatically. Just take a look at this graph – I’ve marked where things were when Boris posted Flickr data here on 18th August.
So, what’s happening? Most of the cameras listed have fallen off slightly, maybe due to the end of the summer holiday season in the northern hemisphere, but why is the iPhone’s fall so pronounced?
Missing Data? Blame Flickr’s iPhone app
The answer could well be to do with flaws in the data rather than actual usage. A quick test of Flickr’s new official iPhone app (which after initial trouble I can now log into) reveals that it doesn’t upload camera model information. This means that lots of photos taken with iPhones over the past few days simply won’t show up on this graph. With the app (which is free) currently ‘Featured’ in the App Store, that could account for a lot of photos.
Now, the app has only been available since Tuesday. The fall has been occurring for longer than that so there has to be something else at play…
Is the 3GS novelty factor wearing off?
Look at the graph again and you’ll see a huge growth in iPhone usage a short while ago. In a short space of time usage increased significantly. It’s hard to say exactly when it was (Flickr’s graph doesn’t display accurate time measurement) but it’s likely that the significant increase tied in with the launch of the iPhone 3GS.
With the 3GS sporting an improved camera and new video recording capability, it’s likely that usage shot up as new and upgrading iPhone users rushed to show off what their new phone could do. After a couple of months the novelty could simply have worn off.
Maybe the iPhone isn’t destined to be the most popular camera on Flickr after all.
UPDATE: In case you think this just represents a fall in cameraphone use in general – here’s Flickr’s data comparing only cameraphones. All the iPhone’s nearest competitors remain steady.
I would have to say part of the reason of the iphone fallout is because the app is very buggy. I’m no expert but it seems this is possible because I used it twice and while it was fun, I stopped because it crashes alot and works fairly slow. That’s my two cents
Point missed entirely. You reach a certain number of photos and Flickr wants you to pay. People won’t pay. I wouldn’t.
Could it be that PicPosterous is now capturing the market with people publishing to Posterous instead of Flickr? Just a thought, besides PicPosterous was launched on August 20? http://blog.posterous.com/the-posterous-iphone-app-is-out-picposterous
I would like to see a side by side comparison of a graph showing iPhone uploads to YouTube and the chart above. I wonder if more people are uploading video now. Or all the iPhone users had to go back to work after vacations. Since I bought my 3Gs I’ve taken alot more video than images, with my Gen1 iPhone I uploaded a TON of pictures. It’s all video now.
Facebook is free, where Flickr charges a yearly fee. Once I hit the 200 photo limit, I just stopped using it.
Plus more friends of mine have a Facebook account, and many of them have no use for a Flickr account.
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Mike, so you’re saying that this reduction is due to a load of iPhone users hitting the free photo limit? I very much doubt it. Why would they all hit the limit and decide to stop posting photos en masse? Such an effect would be more gradual, and besides, some people never hit the limit or aren’t bothered by it. You can still use Flickr once you hit the limit, you just can’t see your oldest uploads.
JPM – I haven’t use PicPosterous but photos posted to Flickr via Posterous’ email service certainly maintain camera data. PicPosterous is also probably still a comparatively little-used app which wouldn’t have had much of an impact, I wouldn’t have thought.