Although its iPhone shipments bested analysts’ expectations in the second quarter, it appears that Apple will face increasing pressure from Android and competing operating systems in Q3.
According to our latest insights, two out of five (39%) of those in the market for a smartphone this quarter (July, August, September 2013) are considering Apple, down two points from Q2. Meanwhile, the majority (56%) of those in the near-term market for a device are looking at Android (likely propelled by the spring launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4), widening the disparity between the two operating systems from 32% last quarter to a present 42%. While Android and Apple remain the two OS titans of this arena, mobile consideration sets continue to expand with a rising proportion investigating BlackBerry (18%) and Windows (25%) offerings as well, suggesting that an increasing number of consumers have expanded their vocabularies beyond the typical “Apple or Android?” quandary. Score one for the underdogs.
Further investigation of our two Goliaths, though, reveals some interesting insights about shoppers leaning toward an Apple or Android device in Q3. Those considering an Android-powered smartphone are more likely to be men with the majority skewing 35 and older. In contrast, shoppers attracted to the Apple iPhone are split evenly on gender and tend to be a bit younger – 53% are under the age of 35, not too surprising given the Millennial fan base we found rooting for the iPhone back in Q2. The average household income of those considering an iPhone is about 10% higher than those looking at Android smartphones, which is in line with the generally higher price tags on Apple models.
In Apple’s favor, it continues to be well positioned among smartphone shoppers at present. The Cupertino-based company has the attention of younger consumers with deeper pockets – those who tend to be more tech-savvy and prone toward early adoption.
Apple’s problem seems to be that it squanders these shoppers, failing to capitalize on them as buyers. With the underwhelming iPhone 5 nearly a year old, competing smartphones are giving consumers a serious case of the wandering eyes. A compelling successor to the iPhone 5 – rumored for the fall – will likely put some much-needed focus back on Apple; however, perhaps it’s simply time that Apple got its vision checked.
This article originally appeared on Forbes.com.