It’s no secret that Apple has managed to create itself a loyal following over the last ten years, and that’s been built on existing loyalty that spans all the way back to the company’s startup roots. The introduction of the iPhone and iPad have only strengthened what was already a strong brand for the company, and a new poll suggests that Apple has garnered a ‘blind loyalty’ amongst iPhone users in particular.
Conducted by UK online retailer, the poll took in over 2000 responses from customers, with three fifths claiming that they would always buy Apple’s latest smartphone rather than take the plunge on something offered by one of its competitors. The reasoning for 78% came down to a simple answer – they “couldn’t imagine having a different type of phone now”.
It’s this brand lock-in that has seen Apple do so well since the iPhone was first introduced, partly thanks to the App Store and the ecosystem that it has created. Simply moving from iOS to Android will leave a user’s entire catalogue of apps, both free and paid-for, obsolete.
Interestingly, the store conducting the survey takes the news that people want to stick with their iPhones as ‘blind loyalty,’ though we’re not quite sure what is blind about it. Those surveyed apparently have valid reasons for not wanting to ditch their iPhones, with over two thirds saying that they were used to the iOS interface and presumably didn’t want to have to re-learn how to use their smartphone.
We would suggest that it’s this kind of loyalty that Google is trying to build for its Android smartphone operating system, but with hardware partners slapping their own skins and interfaces over the top of it, switching between the likes of HTC and Samsung will always require a certain amount of training on the user’s part. It may not be a lot to us, but we shouldn’t underestimate its impact on the real people that make up the vast majority of the smartphone-buying public.
Apple is the big winner here, no matter how short-sighted the commentary on the matter might be.
But what’s your take on the matter? Be sure to share your thoughts with us.
(via: Telegraph)
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