The iPhone 5C is popular with former Android users. A new report from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech shows that about half of all Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 5C sales switched from Android-based competitors.
iPhone 5C impressive in select markets
The results from this report includes tracked sales from the United States, Asia, and Europe from August through October 2013. This report also shares that three iPhone 5S devices outsell one iPhone 5C.
According to strategic insight director Dominic Sunnebo, “In almost all markets, the iPhone 5S and 5C releases have given iOS a significant bounce compared to the previous month. Generally, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s share of the market still remains lower than when the iPhone 5 was released, although this is not wholly unexpected as shoppers tend to react more positively to ‘full’ releases than incremental improvements such as the 5S and 5C.”
Sunnebo added that new releases have shown some more impressive results in select markets. The Cupertino-based company peaked at 52.8% in the United States. The numbers for Europe remain a challenge with certain markets with lower phone subsidies (namely Germany and Italy). Fortunately, Britain’s sales are bright with sale shares of 28.7% within the last three months.
Apple wading into new markets with 5C
The iPhone 5C presents a significant change for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) as it’s their first low-end smartphone. This is Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s attempt to enter a new market and take sales away from the tech company’s largest competitor Android. Sunnebo explained further, “The cheaper 5C appeals to a broader audience than Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) usually attracts. In the US, the biggest demand for these mid-end models is coming from lower income households. Some 42% of iPhone 5C owners earn less than $49,000 compared with just 21% for iPhone 5S. iPhone 5C customers also tend to be slightly older at an average of 38 years compared to 34 years for the 5S. The good news for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is that this wider appeal is attracting significant switching from competitors. Almost half of iPhone 5C owners switched from competitor brands, particularly Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) and LG Electronics Inc. (KRX:066570) (OTCMKTS:LGEAF), compared with 80% of 5S owners who upgraded from a previous iPhone model.”
