With countless devices available from dozens of different vendors, Android has taken a significant lead in the international smartphone market. Last week, Apple made its biggest move yet to start converting Android users back to iOS with the unveiling of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus, and based on the latest data, it looks like the company’s gamble paid off.
FROM EARLIER: ‘No chance’ of finding an iPhone 6 Plus tomorrow
Bloomberg reports that Android phone trade-ins have increased exponentially since Apple’s press event, signaling that many Android users were just waiting for Apple to introduce an iPhone with a larger display.
“I had talked to friends about my loyalty to Samsung and, before that, I was a BlackBerry loyalist,” California lawyer Sharyn Funamura told Bloomberg in regards to her preordering the iPhone 6. When Apple “finally addressed a lot of the reasons why I hadn’t bought an iPhone yet, then I just said, ‘OK, I bought your phone.’”
One of the top online electronics resellers, Gazelle, said that its Samsung phone trade-ins tripled last week. Gazelle also polled Android users and discovered that a third of them were planning to upgrade to the iPhone 6. 39% of them say the screen is the driving force behind their decision to desert Android.
“We’re seeing a higher propensity to switch,” Gazelle CEO Chris Sullivan said. “The combination of the screen size and the functionality” indicates that “this is going to be a strong and compelling product for Android users to switch,” he said.
At this rate, the only thing that might slow Apple down is how quickly they restock supply when the initial batch of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus shipments sell out.
If you’re one of the many Android users apparently switching to iPhone this year, be sure to check out Apple’s handy guide for transferring all of your data without losing anything.
