Despite weaker-than-expected sales of the latest iPhone models, more and more Android users are making the switch to iOS, largely thanks to the iPhone XR.
That's according to the findings of Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).
iPhone XR Wins Over Android Users
Based on the data collected in November, the report reveals (PDF) that the iPhone XR, which starts from $749, made up 32 percent of the total iPhone sales within its first 30-day period of availability in the United States. In contrast, both the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, which starts from $999 and $1,099, respectively, accounted for 35 percent of the sales.
"Based on the initial sales, iPhone XR took the same share of iPhone sales as earlier models in their first month on the market," Josh Lowitz, CIRP partner and cofounder, said.
The report goes on to say that users who upgraded from an Android device accounted for 16 percent of the iPhone sales in November, a month after the iPhone XR became available in October. To put the figure into perspective, users who made the leap to iOS made up 11 percent of iPhone buyers back in November 2017 after the iPhone X rolled out. In addition, Android users who made the move to iOS totaled to 12 percent in September 2017 when the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were released.
"It appears that iPhone XR did serve to attract current Android users. Of course, Apple doesn't just state plainly its launch strategy. But, based on the pricing and features, we can infer that Apple positioned the iPhone XR to appeal to potential operating systems switchers from Android," Mike Levin, CIRP Partner and cofounder, said.
Now this isn't a stretch to believe. Apple's vice president of product marketing Greg Joswiak did tell CNET in November that the iPhone XR has been the company's most popular iPhone ever since it launched, after all.
iPhone Sales
Issues plaguing iPhone sales include Apple's run-in with Qualcomm after the latter won a patent battle against the former and asked courts in China to ban sales of the latest iPhone models in the country. However, the Cupertino brand hopes to get past this problem by issuing a software update.
