Apple is expected to unveil its new iPhone on Sept. 9, with sales likely to begin on Sept. 19. This is an important launch for Apple, which has seen its growth slow over the past year.
With high customer loyalty, Apple will rely on many existing iPhone owners to buy new ones. In the US, this frequently happens when two-year operator contracts come up for renewal.
Some 35% of US iPhone owners polled say they are likely to upgrade their device in the next six months, comScore reports. That’s about 25 million people. (There were 173 million US smartphone subscribers at the end of June, according to comScore, and Apple represented 42% of the market.)
Those most likely to upgrade, naturally, are the ones with the oldest iPhones, according to comScore. But almost 25% of iPhone 5S owners also say they’ll upgrade—the early-adopter audience.
Another interesting finding from comScore’s survey: If Apple does introduce iPhones with bigger screens—as rumored—that could be bad news for rival Samsung. Among smartphone owners with 4.5-inch or larger screens, 69% had Samsung devices.
