Apple CEO Tim Cook was happy to allude to this during the most recent earnings call last month. “We continue to see a higher rate of switchers than we have seen in previous cycles,” said Cook, adding that “the current iPhone lineup experienced the highest Android switcher rate in any of the last three launches in the three previous years.” The iPhone’s market share in Europe went up 1.8 percent from Q1 2014, while Android saw a 3.1-percent drop in the same time period. That’s a shift of a about 5 percent, which is nothing to thumb your nose at.
All information used for Kantar’s report is only from the first quarter of 2015, so if this pattern continues, 2015 could be a very good year for Apple in terms of luring Android users over to the platform. Apple has been gaining market share all over the world, largely due to its decision to offer larger screen sizes. Just recently in March, Apple opened up its buyback program to all major smartphone brands, so that consumers with Samsung, HTC, LG, and other Android phones could earn credit toward the purchase of a new iPhone. Apple also released step-by-step guides on migrating data over to iOS, making it easier to switch over from Android.
Apple’s decision to finally release a smartphone with a larger screen has paid off, as Apple has seen a 9.2-percent increase in market share in China, too. Android’s market share in China fell 8 percent, though Android still leads the way with a massive 72 percent of sales to Apple’s 26.1 percent.
