Results from a study conducted by Strategy Analytics have revealed that for the first time ever, owner loyalty toward the iPhone has declined. The study shows that 88 percent of iPhone owners in the United States plan to buy another Apple smartphone in the future. In Western Europe, that number is at 75 percent. Both of these statistics, while still good and far above the competition’s loyalty levels, have dropped from 93 percent and 88 percent respectively since last year.
“There is no doubt that Apple is continuing its success in retaining existing user base while attracting new customers,” commented director at Strategy Analytics’ User Experience Practice, Paul Brown. “However, negative press prompted by a perceived lack of recent innovation by Apple has meant we are starting to see some growth in the number of previously highly loyal consumers who are now reconsidering whether or not they will purchase a new iPhone for their next device.”
My guess would be that the negative press he’s referring to is the iOS 6 Maps app situation. This might be so, but I’d argue the negative press was far worse in 2010 with the iPhone 4 alleged “antennagate,” yet that never contributed to a drop in loyalty or even sales. Perhaps the lacking confidence in Apple could simply be attributed to Samsung’s ability to create a name for itself as a viable competitor, which is a feat practically no other vendor has been able to accomplish.
Strategy Analytics does note that Apple is still attracting plenty of new customers and the market share for iOS is growing in the United States.