A survey conducted by the website TechBargains shows that 71% of iPhone 3GS owners, 74% of iPhone 4 owners, and 64% of iPhone 4S owners plan to buy an iPhone 5. In addition, 38% of Blackberry owners, 22% of Android phone owners, and 32% of people who don’t yet own a smartphone plan to switch to an iPhone.
“When it comes to smartphones, Apple’s iPhone remains the leader,” said Yung Trang, president and editor-in-chief of TechBargains. “What is interesting to note is the survey indicated that one in five Android owners and almost 40% of Blackberry owners plan to ditch their current platform for the iPhone. This could be construed as a commentary on consumer dissatisfaction with Android and Blackberry products or simply a message that the iPhone’s user experience remains unparalleled.”
Indeed, the survey itself seems to indicate the latter. 29% of survey respondents said that “no phone compares to the iPhone,” and 28% said they would purchase an iPhone 5 because they “like to purchase the newest products.” Only 14% specified they they would purchase an iPhone because they want to switch from an Android smartphone.
These numbers corroborate the newest ComScore numbers, which show that both Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platforms continue to gain market share at the expense of RIM’s Blackberry OS. And although Samsung sells one-quarter of the mobile phones sold in the U.S., most of those are lower-priced smartphones and feature phones.
It seems that what many Android users really want is an iPhone. And although they don’t seems to harbor any ill will toward Android, it’s clear that they consider iOS the superior platform.