Apple is stealing users from rival Android in record numbers, according to a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. The report found 26% of consumers who bought the iPhone 6s in the first month it was released were former Android users. That is up 12% from last year and 23% since the launch of the iPhone 5s in 2013, according to the study.
“The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus launch attracted a greater percentage of Android owners compared to a year ago,” said Mike Levin, partner and co-founder of CIRP. “This says a little more about the very hot iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launch, which motivated more iPhone upgrades than in previous years. The share of buyers coming from the Android platform for this launch more resembles the long-term trend in Android and iOS switching.”
Here is a breakdown of iPhone users who switched.
This has not gone un-noticed by Apple CEO Tim Cook.
“That number is the largest that we’ve ever recorded since we began measuring it three or so years ago. It’s a huge number. We’re very, very proud of that number,” Cook said in October after the company’s fiscal fourth quarter earnings report was released.
Cook said the fruitful device maker saw its highest rate of Android defectors in the previous quarter: in fiscal Q4 alone, 30% of iPhone buyers were former Android customers, according to Cook.
Another noteworthy finding from the report was iPhone buyers are picking the larger, more expensive models at a greater clip than previous years. Sales of the recently released iPhone 6s Plus grew from 25% in 2014 to 37% this year.
The chart below shows the growth of the iPhone Plus models.
The CIRP study is based on a survey of 300 Apple users in the U.S., which took place from Oct. 27 through Nov. 12.
