More signs pouring in the iPhone benefitted big time during the holidays. In particular, new research finds some 36 percent of consumers buying the iPhone 4S between October and December 2011 were abandoning other platforms, such as Android or the BlackBerry. The findings were doubly good news for Apple, as researchers found 21 percent of iPhone 4S buyers chose the 64GB smartphone model.
The announcement by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners tracked demand for the iPhone 4S, released in October of last year. CIRP’s latest figures indicate an increasing number of consumers were picking the new iPhone over other platforms, with the percent rising over time. The 36 percent of platform switchers was up from the firm’s previous figure of 18 percent.
The number of consumers purchasing the 64GB iPhone 4S model is up from previous estimates. Right after the handset went on sale in October, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster announced 19 percent of people waiting in line to buy the 4S intended to purchase Apple’s highest-capacity iPhone.
The survey also found T-Mobile is losing customers to AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. Sprint became the latest U.S. carrier to support the Apple handset.
CIRP recently announced findings of a survey on ‘second-hand’ iPhones. According to the researchers, Apple’s smartphone led all others, with 49 percent of iPhones either given as gifts or sold. That compared with 21 percent for BlackBerry devices and 15 percent for Android phones.
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
18 responses to “More Than Third Of iPhone 4S Buyers Coming From RIM, Android”
Here’s hoping the iPhone and iOS acts like a sponge to sop up all those ex-Android dropouts who thought they’d be getting iPhone-quality smartphones for half the price of what Apple offers. Maybe those consumers got burned once, but have learned since that you can’t get quality products for such a low price, no matter what the carrier salesperson told them. All Apple has to simply do is continue building high-quality products backed by strong customer support and the iOS user base will continue to grow without problems. Maybe not as quickly as Android, but happy customers are loyal customers and any person with half a brain should realize that much.
45% market share.
30% market share.
Let’s see how smart the iSheep are.
History has proven time and again that market share is not synonymous with better. It stands to reason that Android will command a decent market share. It’s on a ton of different handsets at all price points including budget Android devices.
I used a new Nokia Razor a couple of weeks back. Gawd awful. If you were upgrading from an aging flip-phone, it might seem cool, but compared to iOS and an iPhone, a clear step backwards. It feels cobbled together and nowhere near as polished.
Edit- Motorola Razr. LOL My bad.
What the hell is a Nokia Razor
More than 50% of people who buy Android phone are from iPhone owners
100% of Android users lack proper grammar skills.
And yet Android users can’t understand that iPhone’s 30% market share is a single line of phones. 15% less market share is pretty good for one phone stacked up against a hundred phones, don’t ya think?
A Lie! Based on where Android is now, this would mean Apple lost 25% of the world’s marketshare of smartphone users this quarter…Right!
Who cares? That’s Apple being closed. Nothing new.
I’m glad for Apple and all, but I’m sick of all the market share stats – Mac heads for 20 years told me market share doesn’t matter.
If that’s true why are iFans so obsessed with them?
It’s true… Market share doesn’t matter for Apple products when Apple continues to make enough money on each product sold to cover costs and be profitable. That goes for any company.
You don’t have to have the largest market share to be profitable.
Ed_Kel is right… you have one product line… iPhone 4s, 4, and older models compared to numerous Android lines from many manufactures.
So are we comparing smart phones? Then iPhone has a huge market share compared to any one type of Android phone.
Are we comparing platforms? Then you have to include iPhones, iPod Touches, iPads.
Bottom line… Regardless of company and market share, if you are profitable that is all that matters.
(To answer your question… why most people are obsessed with market share numbers, it’s because most people like to argue about stuff.)
You’re trolling a Mac blog site. Of course they’re going to report things like rapidly increasing market share. I’m not sure how you think “iFans” are obsessed when you obviously have nothing better to do than troll. Like Karl said, some may be obsessed with arguing the fact that market share is increasing; rightfully so when Fandroids feel the need to downplay the truly impressive growth we have seen from Apple quarter after quarter.
You’re fueling the fire then asking the question as to why the fire isn’t out…?
I can’t help thinking that companies such as RIM are in part falling victim to the pricing packages offered by phone companies – and the relentless stories of doom from the media.
I use Macs exclusively, but a blackberry suits me better for work – for a number of reasons. Later this year my phone company will offer me a replacement phone “free” on a 3 year contract. – At which point i have to decide whether to sign over for an iphone which is less use to me, or take a gamble on where RIM will be in the next few years.
How many other people are worried about buying into a long term contract and not knowing whether they will be able to get any sort of tech support in the future? – if RIM were to go, what would happen to the secure email system or blackberry messenger?
Don’t you mean Blackberry, Android? If you meant the phone manufacturer surely you’d of said RIM, Google in the post title.
That stands true to you as long as Apple doesnt have the largest share. But you remember a year or 2 ago when they did? I remember a different stance back then…
And highly partial oppinions comming from a fansite don’t constitute what’s “better” either.
Umm, hello stupid – knock knock, anyone home? Read the article.
*Another blind iSheep*
If all they prefer is a retardedly simple, and cosequenlty stale, experience then more power to em. (most people do) But some of us like to have a little more fun with our phones.
– former JB iphone 4 owner of 9 months.
“More than third” Should say more than a third, or one third, etc. gah.
Android & BB users deserve the CRAP they waste their money!! NO ONE is sitting around wishing they had an Android phone made by Samsung, Motorola, HTC, Sony or LG or a BB that doesn’t have wi-fi or a functional browser or the basics most phones have as standard! Co-signing either of these OS’s at this point is far beyond DELUSIONAL!!