It looks like the iPhone 6 Plus is cannibalizing iPad usage

Predictions that larger-screened iPhones would cannibalise iPad usage look to be confirmed by some stats from the Pocket app that allows you to save webpages, videos and other content for reading later. Pocket reported in a blog post today that while 55% of owners of the iPhone 5s viewed content on their phone rather than iPad, the number leapt to 72% for the iPhone 6 and 80% for the iPhone 6 Plus. iPhone 6 owners used their iPads significantly less than owners of smaller iPhones, suggesting that they are leaving their iPad at home more of the time.

It’s too early to tell what long-term effects Apple’s new, bigger-screened iPhones—the 6 and the monster-sized 6 Plus—will have on its shaky iPad tablet business. But according to Pocket, the popular service for saving web articles to read later on your phone, the new iPhones are already taking screen time away from iPads. A few caveats: First, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are brand new, so it’s possible this reflects new-gadget lust more than the long-term trend line. Second, this is one company measuring a subset of its users performing specific activities—primarily reading articles and also watching saved videos. It’s hardly representative of the entire ecosystem. And third, Apple CEO Tim Cook has stated clearly that he’s fine with cannibalizing his own products. He will be especially glad to do so with the iPhone, which is significantly more profitable than the iPad.