During Apple's Q4 2015 conference call, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that the company is continuing to see an increased number of people ditching their Android phones and making the switch to iPhone.
We believe that iPhone will grow in Q1, and we base that on what we're seeing from a switcher point of view. We recorded the highest rate on record for Android switchers last quarter at 30 percent.
Cook later added:
What this means is that for customers who purchased an iPhone last quarter and replaced a smartphone, that 30 percent of those switched from an Android device. And so, there would've been some switchers on top of that from other operating systems, but obviously, Android is the largest one, by far. And so, that's what that means, and that number is the largest that we've ever recorded since we began measuring it three or so years ago. And so, it's a huge number; we're very, very proud of that number.
No particular reasons were given as to the motivations. In some countries, especially China, the iPhone is a status symbol. In other cases while the first smartphone purchase might not be an iPhone, customers decide to switch for the second or third phone. In still other cases, security is the primary driver.
It could also be that companies like Samsung have reduced their differentiation, shedding memory cards and user-swappable batteries for more iPhone-inspired designs and feature sets.
For their part, Apple has made it easier to switch by launching a Move to iOS app on the Google Play store, allowing people to quickly and simply move personal data from an Android phone to iPhone.
Regardless, it's been great for Apple's bottom line. 48 million iPhones and $51.1 billion in revenue great.
