Its no secret that Android smartphones have been eroding the market share of iPhone. Up till now Apple has released one smartphone every year, whereas Android smartphones are developed by an insane amount of manufacturers, and when the numbers add up its a whole different story. Though according to a new report, people who are out in the market to buy a smartphone for the very first time prefer an iPhone, particularly older models, over everything else that’s available. This means they neglect similarly priced new Android models as well.
The report claims that some 31% of new iPhone owners were those that had upgraded from feature phones, last year this figure stood at 9%. The increase is due to iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S being offered at low prices or even free by various carriers. First time buyers also seem to be tilting towards Windows Phone devices, 42% of the platform’s new users came over from feature phones. Apple’s rumored low cost iPhone may provide it a substantial boost in this particular segment of the market. It remains to be seen whether Apple actually does release such an iPhone.
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