Consumer Intelligence Research Partners performed a survey to find out what first time smartphone buyers and smartphone owners buy. Its data showed that first time buyers choose Android phones while the repeat buyers are most likely to purchase Apple products.
CIRP said Android smartphones were preferred by first time buyers because of their bigger screen sizes, cheaper price points and extensive distribution. Conversely, Apple captured nearly 50% of the repeat buyers. Its failure to gain the attention of the first time buyers was due to the company's limited product portfolio. However, since a smartphone owner would eventually become a repeat buyer, Apple's position was expected to improve.
According to American Customer Satisfaction Index, Galaxy SIII and Note II from Samsung Electronics Co. led their study with a score of 84 on a 0 to 100 scale. Apple's iPhone 4, 4S and 5 obtained the second position with an 81.
During the second quarter, 238.1 million smartphones were shipped. Samsung and Apple's combined share of the market was around 45%. Samsung sold 75.6 million while Apple was able to ship 31.2 million units.
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