Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) now reports that Apple has caught up to Android sales in the US, with iPhones now accounting for 50% of new smartphone activations during Q2 of 2021.
“CIRP estimates for customers that acquired a new phone in the year ending this quarter, Google Android and Apple iOS each had 50% of the new activations,”
CIRP
Let’s take a second to think about how big this is for Apple…
In 2020, there were 73 new Android phones released. Apple released 3 new iPhones…
That’s how it is every year. There are just far more manufactures pumping out Android devices at EVERY price point. That’s nearly impossible to keep up with, worldwide, but somehow Apple has managed to catch up in the United States.
It all breaks down to loyalty. In terms of brand loyalty, CIRP says that Apple’s customers are just more loyal when it comes to buying back in to a new iPhone when it comes time for an upgrade.
“Loyalty and switching help explain some of the change in share of new phone activations, with iOS gaining loyalty in a market with minimal switching. In the most recent quarter, Apple had an edge in loyalty, with 93% of prior iPhone owners upgrading to a new iPhone, compared to 88% of Android owners staying with Android. Over several years, iOS gained about five percentage points in loyalty, while Android remained flat. This allowed Apple to steadily increase the iOS share of new smartphone activations.“
– Mike Levin, CIRP
GG, Tim!
