

A new survey conducted by Consumer Intelligence Research Partner (CIRP) suggests that of Apple's iPhone customers between July 2012 and June 2013, an impressive 42% of them were upgrading from a previous iPhone. Better still, it compares Apple to Samsung, and shows that only 7% of Samsung's mobile customers moved across from using an iPhone. The key stats as presented to Fortune:

  • 42% of Apple's customers between July 2012 and June 2013 were upgrading from another iPhone




All interesting factoids, and there's many a discussion we could have about each of them. It's interesting to see that Apple commands a greater share of the BlackBerry switchers, perhaps more comfortable with the stable environment and the ecosystem that Apple provides, and is more like the BlackBerry they know than what Samsung is serving up.

Also good news for Apple is that their brand loyalty continues to be pretty high. Attracting new customers is always on the list, but you have to retain the ones you already have to stand any chance. The survey doesn't differentiate which of the Samsung customers came from another Samsung phone, just Android, so while their retention figures match Apples, it doesn't mean they as a brand are keeping as many of their customers as Apple does. Apple also took a good chunk more Samsung customers than Samsung did Apple customers.

Tell me though, what do you think of all these figures? Are you a long standing iPhone owner, or have you recently switched? Now is an even more exciting time to be thinking of getting on the platform with iOS 7 and new hardware right around the corner. Or, perhaps you've switched or are thinking of switching to Samsung? Tell us why!

Source: Fortune


Richard Devine


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Reader comments



I left my 4S for a GS3 over a year ago for two reasons.

1. Auto-Correct is an abortion of an "intelligent" typing system

2. The iOS UI was just plan 100% boring.

3. Most of my apps that were on iOS are also on Android

Well with the new 5S there's a new and better UI, auto correct looks like it might work and though most of my apps were on Android almost all looked and some even worked horribly compared to the iOS version.

Plan on me repenting of the errors of my ways with sleeping in front of an Apple Store next month for a 5S

I bought a nexus 7 to test the android waters and I love it for messing around, but I am not ready to go to android yet.

1. Though there are most of (not all) the apps, there are quite a few that are missing. And as a blogger said, I am sure I can live without them, but its painful to do so.
2. The app quality is night and, as many android apps aren't as updated. A great example is Zite.
3. I have a lot of speciality productivity apps, that simply aren't on Android. Eg, Mendeley. The substitutions aren't good enough.
4. I have a lot invested in iOS, so unless what I am getting is a clear huge benefit, there is no reason to switch platforms , just because I am bored. I have little time to be bored these days.
5. Android still feels unfinished and I am running 4.3. Apps crash on weird places, the apps aren't well written sometimes, it has weird lags, it feels like running Ubuntu on a machine, which feels great, and potentially better than everything else, but just isn't quite there yet.

This of course is my opinion and I will be upgrading to the next iPhone. My nexus 7 will continue to be my window into the Android world.

I'm dying for a bigger screen iPhone, something between the current one and a iPad mini for which I have little use.

But,... Even without that I won't switch for any Android device: I've left windows mobile years ago, sacrificing customization for peace of mind, and still don't regret it. My phone is a tool for me, I shouldn't be the tool for it.

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I was an origonal HTC EVO 4G owner loooong ago. Then moved to 3GS, then tried Samsung Galaxy SII.. hated it.. tried HTC One S, was OK.. Moved back to Apple with iPhone 4 .. liked it but wanted to try the Nexus line.. Galaxy Nexus.. was ok .. but in the end got me a iPhone 4S then moved to the iPhone 5 and love it. I would like a larger screen.. but mostly, I want the software updates, including the notification center, etc.

Extreme example of a phone hopper..

I used to be totally against Apple for the longest time always saying I "wasn't going to conform" as if Apple users were like the Borg or something. I got my first taste of iOS in 2011 when I won an iPad from work. At the time I had an Android phone so after a few months of using my iPad I decided, why not get an android tablet, it's gotta be the same. Boy was I wrong. I used that crap for about 2 months before I put it on Craigslist, sold it and proceeded to buy another iPad. But I was still using my android phone, I was having too much fun with all the customization. After a while that got boring so I decided to jump over to Windows phone, another bad idea. Luckily I found someone else that wanted to make the same bad move I did so I traded my HTC windows phone for an iPhone 4, then traded that for an iPhone 5 since I was up for upgrade when that came out and the rest is history.

I think these are all interesting facts, parts of a story, but not necessarily the same story. Doesn't paint a clear picture, and doubtful Apple, Google, or Samsung would use this to tell them anything. Just seems like an article (the original, not necessarily this one) that has all the keywords for links/clicks.

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Not a week goes by the some study shows apple or android besting each other in one thing or another..... I'm an apple and certainly prefer their platform. At the same time though sometimes we as fans have to take step back, realise we have to really great platforms to choose from and between the two have given us so many more computing options outside of the windows monopoly that was stagnating technology only a few years ago. Let the Samsung, google and Apple billionaires fight over who is best at this or that and I think the focus for most of us should be just to enjoy the technology.

I had a BB Bold and loved it. I got my wife an iPhone 4 and after playing with it, I was hooked. I switched over when the 4s was released and haven't looked back. I JB'd it to get the customizations but I'm now running beta 6 of ios 7. Might upgrade to the iPhone 5s when it comes out. I'd never go to android. Our daughters have a Galaxy tablet and I can't stand it. Apple all the way!

Hate to state the obvious, but this article did, so I will also: of course more are switching to apple from Samsung...there is only one iPhone. There are many premium androids to choose from S4, S3, HTC One, NEXUS 4, LG optimus G, etc... With all the choice you cannot compare directly...i said all this to say the article says nothing... I'm a Windows guy but I love Android and have some apple products and could really care less who is "winning" just give me more great products and good tech articles. To read.

re: "There are many premium androids to choose from ..."

Yet Samsuck is the only Android handset manufacturer making any money. The other Android handset manufacturers (and iPad clone manufacturers) are operating at barely break-even or at a loss.

Tell us all how much longer that business model can be sustained.

Switched from GS3 to iPhone 5 not bashing Samsung its just apple works out better for me but I do miss the bigger screen

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I have been an Android fanboy since the Droid X and still to this day I am an editor for an Android website. Having said that, I'm very happy with my iPhone 5 and may upgrade to an 5 S when it comes out.

I got the Galaxy S 3 thinking that it would be all that I needed, but the radios were not strong enough to deal with the somewhat flaky signal at my home. The phone was constantly dropping LTE and switching to 1X. It's a nightmare.

So I got an iPhone 5 in February and I've not looked back. The hotspot and data work perfectly and I've kinda grown to love the simplicity of not having to tweak a billion settings for my phone to work. While I've sacrificed some customizations and miss widgets on my home screen, but the fact that my iPhone keeps a steady LTE signal makes up for all the shortfalls of the iOS platform. Also I now love iMessage.

My wife took the S3 and I'm upgrading her to a S4, hopefully the Samsung radios will be better on the new S4, however having had the S3 and the GNex disappoint me, I don't have high hopes for it working well at my home location. We will see. I do know quite a few people that went from iPhone 4 to the S4, which makes sense considering how old the iPhone 4 is now, so I wonder how accurate the numbers in this survey are.

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re: "...3 times as many Samsung users switch to iPhone than the other way around"

And those who switch from iPhone to Samscum are low-value users anyway. The ones with few iTunes / App Store purchases and little or no data in iCloud. Apple doesn't need them all that much anyway. Buh bye.

There's no hard numbers to give you an idea of what this percentage indicates. It's just like cancer rate increases: 25% more likely of having an already 0.00001% chance! *gasp*

The transfer rate of 33% vs 11% could be relative only to their own numbers within their ecosystems, i.e. 100 from Samsung to Apple, but 1000 Apple to Samsung.

I was with android since the g1. Had the entire galaxy line (s-s4) plus 3 Moto phones. Plus 4 tabs. I got tired of foreclosing of every app plus a lot of apps being serious data hogs. So back in June I traded in all my android phones for the iPhone 5 ipad4 iPad mini and COULD NOT BE HAPPIER. A polished ui no shitty apps and great devices. ESP signal service. There is no comparison between radios on apple to any android phones. So i don't understand why android users are on here.

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I got the 4S and the Galaxy S3. As for tablets, I got the Mini iPad and the Samsung Tab 3.

As for 4S vs. Galaxy S3 it goes like this. I love how the S3 has an Micro SD drive and plugging it to the PC via USB is so easy and convenient, like a portable hard drive. Bypassing iTunes is a huge advantage. I hate iTunes for its cumbersomeness. Also, with Samsung flat screens being everywhere and the best, yet another good reason to have a Samsung smart phone for its All Share or mirroring capability.

Having said that, setting alarm and taking notes on Samsung is just a lot slower and less intuitive. Apple still gets the job done faster, I guess less menus and less custom settings also means faster basic tasks. Apple's build quality is also better but sometimes when you touch the phone while its being charged sends you some mild electric current buzz on your fingers. This doesn't happen on plasticky Samsung. Again, a plus can be a minus sometimes and vice versa.

As for tablets, hands down the Tab 3 beats the Mini. For obvious reason is Flash player, enough said. Secondly, I can download Torrent straight to my Tab 3 memory or SD card memory up to extra 64 GB, using Torrent App and Kickass Torrent App, awesome. I no longer need to download on PC, copy to phone through iTunes and takes half-a-day.

Being able to download and save is a huge plus on the Tab 3, can't do it on the Mini. And I don't like to jail break or do any other weird hacks to be able to do something on the iPhone/iPad which is basically a ready function on the Samsung Phone/Tab 3. If Apple doesn't improve its product or open it up a bit more, its going to suffer the Macintosh fate back in the days, when Windows just plain ate it up in the open market because of open compatibility. This is what I feel with Tab 3, it really does everything. You can even copy and move files from Tab 3 memory to the SD card and vice versa, like on a computer. You can download subtitles for movies, unzip them with an app, copy it into movie folder, and voila, all without having to sync through a computer or at the mercy of iTunes and its never-ending updates and lags.

So what's my conclusion, Apple is pretty but high maintenance and picky, sorta' like a hot girl who's high maintenance.

Samsung is the girl next door, cool with anything, doesn't cost as much, but then again doesn't wow you, but makes your life easy. Less drama.

I have been an apple customer for 5 years. I own iPhones, iPads, Apple TV, and a Mac. The products are great but apple is greedy. They cut out google so they can control and make money off of the maps. They refuse to incorporate flash even though many websites still use it. But most importantly they refuse to put out innovative products. Everything for the last few years is an incremental upgrade. Remember when the first iPad didn't have a camera? But it had an empty spot in it where the iPad2 put the camera. So I was forced to buy the first ipad and then the incremental upgrade. That is greed. Lastly, most people want a bigger screen. Apple knows this but is waiting until demand for its tiny iPhone 5 screen disappears. Then they will force us all to want the bigger screen. that sh..t. I ordered a samsung galaxy note 3 with the galaxy gear watch. Apple will no longer fool me into spending money every year on one incremental upgrade. Thanks for all the fun years apple. I am switching to Samsung.

Hi Shervin and how has your experience with Samsung been, now that you have switched to the watch and note 3? Thanks for your reply. I'm think of switching and researching

Well the fact that my new Samsung phone sent me an alert to reply to your comment is impressive. My iPhone never did that. To answer your question:
The bigger screen is amazing. When I hold my wife's iPhone 5 I can't believe how tiny the print is. Everything pops out and feels alive on the note 3. It functions completely differently than an iPhone tthough.My brain has become accustomed to using the iPhone for so many years that I find myself struggling to get things done as fast. For instance the keyboard. There are no real keys on an iPhone or note 3. It's wherever your brain feels the keys should be. So I'm just relearning with the note 3. Also there is a lag with almost everything the note does vs. Iphone. If I press an icon it takes a split second longer on the note. So if you're used to the iPhone sometimes I end up pressing something twice because I didn't think it registered and it will open up whatever it was two times. I still haven't found an easy solution to get all my songs from iTunes to my note 3. Also there is another greedy thing Apple has done to sabotage people from switching. With i0s7 they made it that if someone switches to any other type of phone then people with iPhone will continue sending texts via imessage to me. My note 3 only receives sms texts. So I do not receive texts from people who have iphones. I have to ask them to go into their phone settings and remove imessage and replace with sms when texting me. I know some people who thought their Samsung was broken and returned it to go back to iPhone just for that reason. It's Apple greed and being sneaky. The galaxy gear watch is wonderful for me. I love the way it looks and feels. If you love gadgets then it will suit you. It is still a very basic peace of technology and some people hate it. I love it. I grew up watching Knight Rider as a kid and always wanted to talk to my watch! And I am in no way a nerd. I just love technology. The cool thing about buying new stuff these days is you can always sell it online for half of what you paid so you don't lose too much if you hate it or get an upgrade the next year. I love my note 3 and galaxy gear. I'm hating Apple more everyday for the lack of innovation. Samsung shows the courage to put out a product even at the risk of people hating it. I commend them for that and recommend them highly.

Dear Shervin, many thanks for your detailed reply. Much appreciated. I don't hate Apple or Samsung...I see their difference and for e.g. the fact that my message came to your Samsung is a matter of setting this in this portal not the phone. Also the iMessage issue you mentioned in also users lack of knowledge as you can set it to send as normal text if iMessage doesn't function and if you don't have iMessage activated then the text sends as normal SMS ..but thee are minor.I'm quite a gadget freak-ette and know my way around new technologies etc - I have been trying out the GNote3 and have found it frustrating as you say - even for me who loves to change settings and set everything to be different and custom for me, I find it difficult to navigate, but as you say it is a matter of re-learning. I'm "glad" you also mentioned the lag as I have noticed that as well, and 1-2 apps crashed when I was working with them....I know Apple is a closed-environment and I do enjoy it - thing really work and work seamlessly, so I'm hesitant to change (the phone only) Customers that find out later that it is a closed environment simply haven't done their home-work before investing (-; One last thing, what I am really impressed with in the GNote3 is the crispness and clarity of the display - blew me away! And yes, Apple is lagging behind in innovation the result for me? I will keep 'testing' for a while...but am more "not convinced" to switch at the moment. Again, many thanks for your time you spend on your reply! Enjoy your Ssamsung experience. Cheers! Marketa