A report reveals that activations of new iPhone devices in the US had their biggest fall in years. CIRP analysts show both the current figures and the potential reasons for the decline.
CIRP (Consumer Intelligence Research Partners) published an analysis of the situation. According to the report, during 2023, Apple maintained an almost stable 40% market share with respect to the activation of new iPhones. This was mainly the case during the first half of last year. However, as of the first quarter of 2024, activations of new iPhone devices fell to 33%.
Figures this low in Apple smartphone activations had not been seen since 2017. At that time, although Android was still the main rival to iOS, there were some other alternatives. For example, you could still find Windows Phone devices and even some with BlackBerry OS. This means that, currently, 2 out of every 3 new smartphone activations in the United States are Android.
There’s been a decline in iPhone activations since last year
The fall in new iPhone activations does not exactly mean a loss of interest in the brand. There are other factors that may be relevant to the situation. One of those factors is that modern high-end smartphones are of better quality and durability than before. That also means that they have become much more expensive compared to a few years ago.
So, instead of a loss of interest in Apple smartphones, iPhone users could be keeping them for longer. Another factor is the lack of new “breakthrough” features in software or hardware. The increasingly smaller changes between new device iterations could also be related to this.
Finally, in addition to the price increase for smartphones, there is the abandonment of carrier subsidies. This set of factors could be making users reconsider whether to change devices or keep theirs for longer. Could the upcoming iPhone 16 series be interesting enough to change the situation? Only time will tell.