It’s no surprise the number of people who desire the iPhone (News - Alert) has increased dramatically, following the creation of the first one in 2007. The question that comes to mind to many is: why are Android or Blackberry users suddenly saying goodbye to their old smartphones and hello to the latest iPhone?
A previous survey from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners found that 29 percent of iPhone users in February switched from an Android (News - Alert) or Blackberry device. The latest numbers illustrate that as of April, 38 percent of iPhone buyers were previously Android or Blackberry owners, and 73 percent purchased the iPhone 4S over an older iPhone model.
When statistics like these come out, it’s only natural for people to wonder what is so great about the iPhone. Could it be the appearance of the phone, or perhaps the fact that it introduces the user to a world of thousands of applications?
If someone were to walk down the street and conduct a survey asking users why they choose the iPhone next to any other device, the answers would provide a large range of data. That being said, Helena Pereira, an assistant customer service manager for a phone company, was able to give some enlightenment as to why she made the switch.
"I upgraded to the BlackBerry (News - Alert) Tour 9630 the week it was released, but just couldn't take all the reboots, battery pulls and 'lagginess' anymore, so I switched carriers and got myself the iPhone," said Helena Pereira. When asked if she regrets making the switch, she responded that she doesn’t regret the switch “one bit.”
“The iPhone has been very reliable, and I have yet to have a single issue with it,” she said.
Interestingly, Mike Pilot, a 34-year-old Web editor, assured that the world of applications was a key aspect that drew a lot of people in. “I loved my BlackBerry,” he said, “but [the platform didn't offer] as many customization-options as I would've liked. It was also harder to find apps that were useful for me. At first I refused to get the iPhone but after using one for only two days as a test, I realized I couldn't go back to BlackBerry."
The wide variety of different aspects the iPhone entails is a key reasoning for why people never look back once they have made the switch.
The fact that 36 percent of new iPhone buyers came from other platforms seems not to have had much of an impact on those other platforms’ market share. According to an analysis released by StatCounter (News - Alert) at the end of 2011, BlackBerry and Android continued fairly steadily in their respective trends throughout the last quarter of 2011.
BlackBerry declined steadily throughout 2011, and showed no change in the rate of decline during the three months the iPhone 4S was available. On the other hand, Android, continued to stay steady throughout the year, though it did show a very slight leveling off in October, around the time of the iPhone 4S’s launch.