While the iPhone 6 launch has meant big business for Apple, it seems that creating bigger phones may have an additional consequence for the company: people aren’t using their iPads as much.
That’s the gist of a new report from read it later service Pocket, which shows that iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users on the service are significantly more likely to read articles on their phones than on their tablets. It’s a major shift from users of the iPhone 5S, who split their time roughly evenly between their phone and iPad. The iPad is still the king of bedtime reading, though: after 9 p.m., usage of Apple’s tablets overtakes usage of the iPhone.
In my own case, Pocket’s numbers ring true. The iPhone 6’s larger Retina HD screen has made reading easier. When I’m filtering through my Instapaper queue or checking Twitter, I’m more likely to reach for my phone now than I was before I bought an iPhone 6.
Overall, Apple is seeing fewer sales of the iPad compared to last year. The company’s quarterly financial reports have shown sales of its tablets are shrinking ever so slightly, and a recent analyst report from IDC claimed that the company is on pace to see a full year of declining iPad sales, despite the introduction of new models this October.
