Apple’s iPhone Bites into Europe’s Android Dedicated Fanbase

According to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, a major market research agency, more and more Europeans choose to ditch their android-powered phones and switch to iPhones. According to an agency’s report published Wednesday, the global surge in iPhone sales in March may accurately reflect this trend.

The report also mentioned that even in the countries with the highest numbers of Android fans iPhone slowly but steadily gains ground. Germany, the U.K., France, Spain, and Italy are the countries where Android devices still dominate the mobile device market with a nearly 70 percent share.

But as years went by, Apple’s iPhone became more and more popular as it gained about 3 percentage points every year. So, it currently holds a 20.3 percent share in countries that are routinely dedicated to Android.

The new report also shows that more than 30 percent of people who buy an iPhone are former Android users, which either ditched their old devices for good or try to test the new technology as well.

Kantar also found that a significant share of Android users decided to stick with the brand due to lower prices, discounts, or more alluring offers. About 35 percent of the people who bought an Android device in the last quarter reportedly based their decision on the device’s more convenient price, while nearly 30 percent said they got a good bargain due to contractual offers or low tariffs.

China, which is another country with a solid Android fanbase, experiences a similar trend. There, iPhone market share surged from 18 percent to 26 percent in the last few years, although it has a long way to go before it beats Android’s 72 percent share.

However, the stakes are much higher in China for Apple since it has a greater potential than Europe. While in Europe things are pretty clear – Android or iPhone – in China there’s a different situation – Android or no phone.

Until recently, only China’s rich could afford to buy a mobile device, but as lower layers of society experience a slight enrichment, mobile device market is expected to explode. According to the report, iPhone sales in China surpass those in the States. As of March 2015, Apple reported that about 25 percent of its Chinese smartphone buyers were people earning $322 to $650 per month.

However, iPhone still remains excessively expensive to many people that live in China, so many of them do not even ponder on the possibility of buying one any time soon. But many of those who do afford one reported that they would rather use an iPhone, rather than their personal computer.

According to an independent research group, Apple sold between 18 and 20 million new devices on the Chinese market, while only 14 to 15 million were sold in United States.

In the U.S., Apple holds a 36.5 percent market share, while Android experienced a slight uptick in sales while progressing to a 58.5 percent share. The research firm said that about 18 percent of U.S. mobile users currently use an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, while 64 percent of the installed base of users use an iPhone 5 or 6. And the figures may surge with Apple Watch’s roll out because the wearable needs at least an iPhone 5 to work.

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