∞ Apple’s iOS continues to dominate over Android and RIM

A new survey released on Monday shows that Apple’s iOS mobile operating system continues to lead it competitors.

[ad#Google Adsense 300x250 in story]According to the survey conducted by ChangeWave, 46 percent of respondents planning to purchase a smartphone in the next 90 days will choose an iPhone. This compares to 32 percent that plan to purchase an Android-based phone.

The survey, which polled 4,163 consumers in North America, also showed that RIM reached its lowest point ever, dropping down to 4 percent of planned purchases.

Android made quite a bit of ground in September 2010 when it peaked at 37 percent, almost catching Apple’s 38 percent. Since then, Apple has gone up to 46 percent, while Google has dropped to 32 percent.

The news for Apple’s customer satisfaction is good too. A full 70 percent of people said they are very satisfied with iOS, while 50 percent say they feel the same way about Android. Only 27 percent were satisfied with Windows OS and 26 percent with RIM’s OS.

iCloud will also become a big draw for Apple when it is released. ChangeWave found that “29% of Apple product owners say Apple’s iCloud announcement makes them More Likely to buy Apple products in the future, as do 13% of Non-Apple owners.”

Gustav

I think a lot of people who buy Android phones have no idea what they’re buying. A lot of customers just don’t care about the brand of their phone, so they go into the store and ask the guy for a phone that has web, facebook, and twitter. The guy sells them whatever brand is paying him a spiff this week, and it’s typically one of the vendors who make Android phones. I don’t think that happens as often with iPhones, hence when these people actually see an iPhone, they remember it and buy one next time.

Anonymous

I think that is true. It’s borne out by how few Android users buy apps or even use the Web. They are happy to get a big touchscreen instead of a keypad like last time, but they are essentially still feature phone users. They make calls and send texts. At most carrier stores, an Android phone is now the default.

Anonymous

Both of you are sadly mistaken. There hasn’t been ONE person I kno with an Android device that didn’t know it was Android. And a good 80% of them chose Not to get an iPhone, to fit it. They just didn’t like iOS, and love Android more. I feel the same way, but they tell me this before I could share my thoughts.

Android’s run away success isn’t a fluke. It may not be as polished as iOS, or as smooth, or have as many apps, but that doesn’t make it inferior. It’s a great alternative to the other OSes out there, with many features built right into the OS, the the ability to add more.

And few don’t use the web? I’d like to see proof on that. And there are many devs that sell .99 iOS apps, but designate the app Free on Android. Why? Ads. Angry Birds pulls in $1M+/mo from Android ads alone, and I am sure they are not the only ones that profit from ads. They don’t have to sell the app to make money.

Anonymous

The vocal minority of Android users participate on web forums and are aware of their choice. That doesn’t speak to the average Android user though. This vocal minority is very much part of the “anything but Apple” crowd.

You mention Angry birds as your example. First, Angry birds is an exception. Most of the mobile games that are of higher production value that I like to play simply don’t exist on Android. Back to Angry Birds though, you should know that there is a free version of Angry Birds for iOS as well (with ads). Android simply lacks the version without ads. Why? Because Android users are cheap and expect everything for free. Developers make much more money on iOS, including Rovio (Angry Birds).