Boston – The number of iPhone users who said they will probably or definitely buy another iPhone declined for the first time since the iPhone’s 2007 launch, Strategy Analytics said.
The decline was more marked in Western Europe than in the U.S.
Only 75 percent of iPhone owners in Western Europe said they are likely to buy their next phone from Apple, down from 88 percent in 2011, the company said. The percentage of U.S. iPhone owners who will replace their current iPhone with another iPhone slipped from 93 percent in 2011 to 88 percent in the latest survey, Strategy Analytics said.
“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,” Strategy Analytics said.
Added analyst Taryn Tulay, “Respondents who say they probably will or definitely will not buy their next phone from Apple is low. However, it is the shift in the number of those who are unsure whether they will remain with the same brand for their next phone that Apple should be concerned about.”
