Loyalty of iPhone owners in both the United States and Europe experiences first ever decline.
For the first time since the iPhone's inception, the percentage of the smartphone's owners who say they will definitely or probably buy another Apple handset has declined.
According to research conducted by Strategy Analytics, a study found that 88 percent of U.S. iPhone owners are likely to buy another Apple smartphone, representing a decrease from 93 percent last year. In Western Europe, meanwhile, the total stands at 75 percent, which is a decrease from 88 percent in 2011.
While the firm argues that Apple is attracting new customers, it says that negative press has led to the aforementioned decrease in consumer interest for iPhones.
"There is no doubt that Apple is continuing its success in retaining existing user base while attracting new customers," said Paul Brown, director at Strategy Analytics' User Experience Practice. "However, negative press prompted by a perceived lack of recent innovation by Apple has meant we are starting to see some growth in the number of previously highly loyal consumers who are now reconsidering whether or not they will purchase a new iPhone for their next device."
Taryn Tulay, an analyst at Strategy Analytics, explained that "it is the shift in the number of those who are unsure whether they will remain with the same brand for their next phone that Apple should be concerned about."
Recent figures from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech shows that while Apple's iOS is increasing its market share in the U.S., Android's market share increased across Europe in the 12 weeks of sales that ended on September 30. Google's mobile platform enjoyed a market share increase to 67 percent in the region, which is a considerable increase from the 51 percent share it held last year.
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha "Apple has better products"
That was a good laugh.
Funny =( how saddly u are
People have choices in your life. if apple dont have better products no one will buy.
Hmm. I don't remember fast food-like tech products like Apple's being better. Sure they make products that have sleek designs and all, but functionality and performance-wise, there are better alternatives. I see Apple's products as quick tech solutions for folks who can't be bothered with the intricacies of tech, hence fast food analogy.
There are legitimate reasons why so many like iOS. Ease-of-use is important to a lot of people. The Android experience is just not consistent and is incredibly fragmented and has to be customized if you want ease of use. A lot of folks have better things to do but us techie types don't seem to mind too much.
Totally agree with that.
True, that. Also, in my corner of the globe, Apple products serve as a label of affluence. Their products become a symbol that says "Hey, I'm prolly a lot better than you", and they flaunt it too. I can only grumble in my head
Its the same in the US. A lot of folks that have iOS products think they're more afluent than folks that make other choices. ...especially in the younger than-20 crowd. It really is funny. ...but some of that is due to the plethora of Android devices. There's no one great device that folks look to as a status symbol, but with the SGS3 at least there is at least one great device.
You do have a point. Though this ease of use seems to be generalized so much that even requirement specific users tend to see the product that way. Take for example, a businessman/corporate. He/She is better off with a BB/Nokia phone because its out-of-the-box usability is much better. I know a lot of business people that have iPhones and have a tough time using it because for every silly thing you need an app.