Apple losing on loyalists, but gains on Android fans

Many iPhone users are opting to switch to rival Samsung as they are looking for a device with consistent performance

After Apple officially declared slowing down older iPhones, several users are now opting for a Samsung switch. Earlier this week, the Cupertino giant confirmed that it is underclocking older iPhones deliberately in order to avoid the devices from shutting down because of aging batteries — a huge disappointment for Apple fans. Reports gathered from social media discussions confirm that many iPhone users are deciding to switch to rival Samsung as users are looking for a device that would work for a longer term without any performance hiccups.

Softpedia also reported that several claim Samsung’s ecosystem to be a lot more appealing after Apple’s recent announcement. On the contrary, despite several analysts claiming iPhone X not performing as expected, the table seems to have turned around as the iPhone X is selling like hotcakes in China and users are moving from Android to Apple's ecosystem suggesting a substantial increase in migration rate from Android to iOS.

Analyst Katy Huberty claims the switching rate from Android to iOS has sailed from 6.7 per cent to 9.2 per cent ever since the iPhone X was launched. “Additional data shows that iPhone X adoption in China is at a faster pace than the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Despite faster penetration of iPhone X vs iPhone 8/ 8 Plus, we believe there remains significant pent- up demand from the base of 2+- year- old iPhone owners,” the analyst said.

The analyst further added that approximately half of the iPhone users in China who have bought the iPhone X have upgraded from an iPhone 7.

“In the last six months, Apple's period- over- period active smartphone market share gains have averaged 1.4 basis points. In the two four- week periods that contain partial iPhone X shipment data, however, share gains averaged 87.1 basis points, driving iPhone market share to 21.2 percent,” the analyst said.

Users seem to look for future stability on their expensive handsets, but Apple seems to have losing out on their trust. This shift could cost Apple heavily. On the other hand, Android users seem to be fascinated with Apple's X project and its intuitive design and UI — Apple seems to be gaining new fans altogether.