Google Android closes gap with Apple iPhone in consumer interest

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
A new survey of prospective smartphone buyers has found that hype from the iPhone 4 has died down, and Apple's smartphone is only slightly more preferable to consumers than devices running Google Android.



The results, released Thursday by ChangeWave Research, show that initial hype over the iPhone 4 has died down, and the competition between Apple's handset and devices running Google Android has returned to a horse race. Of 4,000 respondents polled on Sept. 23, 37 percent said they would prefer an Android phone, while 38 percent chose the iPhone.



Though Apple is still the top choice by a percent, its number is reduced from the 50 percent of future smartphone buyers who said they would opt for an iPhone 4 after it launched in June. In the same time, Google has seen an increase from its June number, in which 30 percent of respondents said they would choose Android.



"We've seen huge leaps forward for the Android OS in four of the last five ChangeWave surveys," the research firm said. "All told, it's a six-fold increase in consumer preference for the Google OS in a year?s time."



Market dominance for Apple and Google has come at the expense of Research in Motion's BlackBerry, Microsoft's Windows Mobile, and Palm's webOS. Since June, customer intent to buy a BlackBerry went up just 1 percent to reach 6 percent. Its 5 percent total in June was the lowest ChangeWave had ever seen RIM's handset drop.







Windows Mobile, meanwhile, lost a percent in the three-month span, and just 1 percent of respondents said they would like Microsoft's mobile operating system on their phone. And 0 percent chose Palm and HP's webOS.



Apple also leads in customer satisfaction, with 74 percent of respondents indicating they are "very satisfied" with their iPhone. Android came in second, with 65 percent giving such high approval.







Earlier this month, ChangeWave revealed that the presence of Apple's iOS in the corporate market is still nearly double that of Google Android, but still well behind RIM's BlackBerry. And in August, another survey from the company found that iPhone 4 owners reported fewer dropped calls than those who have an iPhone 3GS.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 92
    I wonder how many of those interested in Android are Verizon subscribers? How many of those, as well as those on AT&T, are sick and tired of waiting for an iPhone 4?
  • Reply 2 of 92
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mikemikeb View Post


    I wonder how many of those interested in Android are Verizon subscribers? How many of those, as well as those on AT&T, are sick and tired of waiting for an iPhone 4?



    Good question, because that is a serious drop in iOS interest in a few months.
  • Reply 3 of 92
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    In Europe the average person has never heard of Android.
  • Reply 4 of 92
    ihxoihxo Posts: 567member
    meh.. interest will be up again in a few months when rumors about iPhone5 starts to popup.
  • Reply 5 of 92
    Apple has just one phone on one network against Android on many phones on all networks...saturation makes a bigger dent. Not to mention the rest of the phone producers out there, MS, RIM, Palm....etc



    I feel the iPhone would be even bigger if it were also on Verizon, it's a huge drawback since many customers won't buy a phone no matter how good it is if it's on the wrong network.



    One last thing... iPhones greatest asset is it's Exchange support out of the box.
  • Reply 6 of 92
    Same in the US. I have no idea who they're interviewing. My neighbors are all non-technical and NONE of them know what Android is. I heard a couple questions about what that Droid-thing is and that's it.



    The iPhone though IS a topic of interest. I've had multiple neighbors buy them in the last few years and multiple who have talked about getting them.
  • Reply 7 of 92
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mikemikeb View Post


    I wonder how many of those interested in Android are Verizon subscribers? How many of those, as well as those on AT&T, are sick and tired of waiting for an iPhone 4?



    Where are all the people on the forum that are 100% sure that Apple doesn't need Verizon?
  • Reply 8 of 92
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mikemikeb View Post


    I wonder how many of those interested in Android are Verizon subscribers? How many of those, as well as those on AT&T, are sick and tired of waiting for an iPhone 4?



    I purchased the iPhone 4 to be sure that I was not going to regret moving to Android Droid X and Verizon.



    I owned the original iPhone (paid full price) and then the 3G.



    I got tired of waiting for Apple's next fix to the iOS and then the Antenna design flaw for the iPhone 4 (yes I owned one and it's real).



    For me I had a Verizon Droid X and iPhone 4 at the same time.



    It took me less than a week to return the iPhone 4.



    I have choices and I made them. I LOVE my Droid X and now that is has 2.2 the Flash on it is awesome (I can turn it off if I want, it's my choice). Free Voice Turn by Turn Navigation. Beautiful large screen.



    I could go on but you get the point.



    My Droid X is more stable than any version of the iPhone OS. The closest comparison was 3.13.



    I have an original iPhone, 3G iPhone and mophie battery charger (for 3g) for sell. Any interest?
  • Reply 9 of 92
    If you have a rather even split between ATT and Verizon, then it's questionable whether you're getting answers that can be generalized the way they're doing here. If 100 people that use ATT are asked their preference, and it goes 50/50, it's highly unlikely you're going to get that same ratio when asking Verizon customers. One would have to see how the survey was conducted and what the exact question(s) were.
  • Reply 10 of 92
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Good question, because that is a serious drop in iOS interest in a few months.



    Because a lot of people (in the US) who were interested in the iPhone 4 have already purchased it and will not be interested in another smart phone until next June. The survey is prospective buyers, not the overall smartphone population.
  • Reply 11 of 92
    If there is a slight chance that questionable survey methodology was used, you can almost guarantee it has been used in order for it to appear on AI. This site excels in the rumors and panic department and falls flat in the credible, vetted story department.
  • Reply 12 of 92
    What is the percentage of people that don't want their Android Smartphone to surreptitiously report their private information to third parties?
  • Reply 13 of 92
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shadash View Post


    Where are all the people on the forum that are 100% sure that Apple doesn't need Verizon?



    I am pretty sure Apple will be able to survive with over 30% of the US smart phone market. I am also pretty sure there is not a big pile of unsold iPhone 4's sitting in Apple and AT&T stores because they are making them so much faster than the limited demand without Verizon is sucking them up.



    Oh wait, Apple has had supply shortages? Well gee the fix to that is to add another US carrier, right?
  • Reply 14 of 92
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ctwise View Post


    Same in the US. I have no idea who they're interviewing. My neighbors are all non-technical and NONE of them know what Android is. I heard a couple questions about what that Droid-thing is and that's it.



    The iPhone though IS a topic of interest. I've had multiple neighbors buy them in the last few years and multiple who have talked about getting them.



    Yes, is more likely that non-technical and non-educated doesn't heard about the Android surge. That's always been the main target for the IPhone. That is what I love about the IPhone is design for non-technical and non-educated users.



    The Android is for those that like choices.
  • Reply 15 of 92
    dave k.dave k. Posts: 1,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    In Europe the average person has never heard of Android.



    Really? I have heard this before, but I haven't yet seen any stats that show Android usage outside of the US.
  • Reply 16 of 92
    dave k.dave k. Posts: 1,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by starnyc View Post


    What is the percentage of people that don't want their Android Smartphone to surreptitiously report their private information to third parties?



    You must mean Apple. Not Google.



    http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/41515/



    I noticed that patent wasn't included in AI news...
  • Reply 17 of 92
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AIaddict View Post


    I am pretty sure Apple will be able to survive with over 30% of the US smart phone market. I am also pretty sure there is not a big pile of unsold iPhone 4's sitting in Apple and AT&T stores because they are making them so much faster than the limited demand without Verizon is sucking them up.



    Oh wait, Apple has had supply shortages? Well gee the fix to that is to add another US carrier, right?



    Apple's survival is not in question. But we're talking about a market Apple could have dominated.
  • Reply 18 of 92
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dave K. View Post


    You must mean Apple. Not Google.



    http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/41515/



    I noticed that patent wasn't included in AI news...



    No, he definitely means Android:



    http://arstechnica.com/security/news...dvertisers.ars





    Quote:

    The results of a study conducted by researchers from Duke University, Penn State University, and Intel Labs have revealed that a significant number of popular Android applications transmit private user data to advertising networks without explicitly asking or informing the user. The researchers developed a piece of software called TaintDroid that uses dynamic taint analysis to detect and report when applications are sending potentially sensitive information to remote servers.



    They used TaintDroid to test 30 popular free Android applications selected at random from the Android market and found that half were sending private information to advertising servers, including the user's location and phone number. In some cases, they found that applications were relaying GPS coordinates to remote advertising network servers as frequently as every 30 seconds, even when not displaying advertisements. These findings raise concern about the extent to which mobile platforms can insulate users from unwanted invasions of privacy.



  • Reply 19 of 92
    lilgto64lilgto64 Posts: 1,147member
    my parents just got a price increase on their contract - and will be looking at switching carries to iPhone 4 possibly over the weekend.



    Also a customer of mine - after seeing my iPhone - is now considering replacing his AT&T not-smart phone - with an iPhone.



    I am sure none of them where interviewed.



    that customer as well as a current 3GS owner I talked to recently - asked about the antenna issue - that was about the only thing holding them back.



    for the record - I had way more dropped called with my iPhone 2G than I have had with my iPhone 4 on the flip side - based on the dB readings I am pretty close to the edge of a service area - and i do not always have service with the iPhone 4 and have dropped calls as a result of no service - ust not nearly as frequently or consistently as with the original iPhone.
  • Reply 20 of 92
    considering the number of manufacturers and carriers who make or sell Android phones.



    One thing Android doesn't do is offer an integrated ecosystem of devices that are so seamlessly interconnected. That is the Apple advantage and will continue to be as long as Apple continues to come out with great products that it markets so well.



    As interesting as Android was to me, the lack of this ecosystem was the deciding factor for me. Also, a friend has an Android HTC Desire and it is not a particularly good implementation. If it is representative of other Android phones, there's a long way to go before Android can compete with the iPhone's simplicity, ease of use, and intuitive interface.



    Remember, Android is the OS, NOT the interface. You still have to rely on these other companies who don't seem to know a single thing about how to implement a great user interface, something that Apple excels at. I was playing with my friend's phone and it took forever to figure out how to send a photo taken on the phone via text. "Photo is too large" flashes for a brief second on the screen with no option to reduce its resolution. Entering the recipient resulted in some weird buggy glitch that eventually crashed the phone. My friend has on two occasions called someone in her contact list only to find that the phone called someone completely different in her contacts.



    Sorry but based on what I've seen so far, I would never consider trading my iPhone for an Android phone.
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