Tuesday, 25 Octorber 2011
Growing competition among smartphone operating systems (OS) and rising consumer familiarity is making them a key consideration in handset purchase.
Consumers think a OS is almost as important as the handset brand when choosing a smartphone, research from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech has found.
The percentage of customers who pick a phone based solely on its OS was 18% in the four weeks to 10 July 2011, up from 12% six months earlier, according to the research .
The importance of handset brands when buying a smartphone slipped from 27% to 20%, with half of customers considering both factors.
Fiona Keenan, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, said: “In the past six months, OS providers have mounted an effective challenge to handset manufacturers’ brand loyalty. Android (pictured) in particular is a very popular choice, and many consumers prioritise this type of OS over their choice of handset.”
In August, Google bought handset giant Motorola Mobility for $12.5bn. The search engine giant said the deal would “supercharge” Android.
