The data was released by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) yesterday. It concludes over 101 million iPhones are now in use in the United States, 58 million of which are the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. A further four million handsets represent the recently-launched 6S and 6S Plus but this figure is now likely to be substantially higher.
CIRP collected the data in late September, just after the launch of the 6S series, by surveying 500 U.S. Apple customers, analysing data on iPhone users, their current model and their previous device and comparing it to iPhone sales figures adjusted for the U.S. market. The timing of the survey means the iPhone 6S had only been on sale for one weekend when it was conducted.
Graph from a report claiming the iPhone now has over 100 million U.S. users
CIRP
Apple sold its 100 millionth iPhone in 2011 and crossed one billion devices back in January. The data suggests that of those phones around 10 percent are currently seeing active use in the U.S.
The report notes that sales growth has slowed again against previous quarters, noting the maturity of the U.S. smartphone market means Apple has fewer first-time buyers to sell devices to. Instead, it now goes after users of other platforms and attempts to convince them to switch.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently claimed more people switched from Android to iOS in the fourth quarter of 2016 than in any other period previously. The appeal of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus led to 30 percent of customers who upgraded from a previous phone listing Android as their old OS.
Apple has been aggressively pushing its own products to Android users, introducing an app that makes it simpler to move data to iOS. It has also developed a program which lets owners of Android phones trade their device in to get a discount on a new iPhone.
The iPhone 6S has been the most successful iPhone to date, helped by its availability in China since day one. The phone introduces key new features that aren’t available on other platforms, such as Apple’s 3D Touch pressure-sensing display technology.
The 6S-series also boasts a more powerful processor than its predecessors and a bump in camera resolution to 12-megapixels, in turn making 4K video shooting a possibility for the first time. The changes have proved to be a hit with fans and have propelled Apple to record-breaking sales.
