Recent Trends Indicate iPhone Usage Is Declining While Android Gains Popularity

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Even though, in recent years, Apple has all but out-innovated most of its chief rivals by bringing new and exciting technologies to the table that everyone seems to want to copy, the Cupertino-company has nevertheless shown signs of warming up to Android — although there are still clear rivalries between the two Silicon Valley-based heavy-weights that persist.

And, well, unfortunately for Apple’s sake, a newly released report is likely to fuel those feelings of technological contention that exist between itself and Google. The report, you might be wondering, is the latest Internet Trends Report from research firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers — which suggests that, for the first time in history, Apple is expected to experience a decline in global iPhone shipments for the 2016 fiscal year, while Android seems well-positioned to grow and grow all the more.

The principal author of the report, KPCB’s Molly Meeker, indicated that she expects this year’s iPhone sales volume to drop by as much as 11% — a pretty hefty drop, by any measure, which appears to be at least somewhat in line with our previous report.

Of course, this is all due in part, to a key variable currently at play. We know that iPhone demand has been falling so far this year, and that it will likely continue to — unless Apple seriously stokes us this fall with a better-than-expected ‘iPhone 7’ handset.

That said, Meeker expects Android’s market share to increase by an additional 7% or so over the course of 2016 — particularly due to the increase in sales of cheap Android handsets in up-and-coming markets, such as India, which Apple has also tried to gain a foothold in — though the company has encountered its fair share of obstacles in attempting to do so.

Apple’s greatest hope of reversing this proverbial shift in the tides, however, is with another blockbuster release of its forthcoming ‘iPhone 7’ handset — which is expected to be released sometime later on this fall. However, it’s more likely that the major design changes and feature enhancements, galore, will likely see their implementation in 2017’s ‘iPhone 7s’ — or iPhone 8, 10th-generation iPhone — whatever it’s ultimately called.

Take a look at the video below, if you’re interested — which shows Meeker talking about the report, in all its statistical and evidential glory.

What do you think about this new report? Will you be switching to Android this year if Apple doesn’t deliver to your expectations? Let us know in the comments!

Featured Photo Copyright: Leszek Kobusinski
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