Sony targets iPhone users with new Xperia Transfer software

Sony recently updated the Xperia Transfer software that makes it easy to switch from an iPhone to one of Sony's Android-powered Xperia handsets. Users first back up their iPhones in iTunes before hooking up a compatible Sony device to the Transfer Wizard, which moves contacts, messages, calendar entries, notes, bookmarks, music, and other media to the non-Apple handset.

As noted by TechnoBuffalo, Xperia Transfer works with Sony's Xperia V, Xperia VC, Xperia TC, Xperia T, and Xperia TL, as well as the company's most recently announced Xperia Z line.

Once a premier name in consumer electronics, Sony has struggled to make a dent in the smartphone segment. The Japanese conglomerate has been outmaneuvered by upstarts such as Apple — which also leapfrogged Sony in the digital media player industry —and Samsung. The latter is the overwhelming leader among manufacturers of devices running Android, the same OS used by Sony's Xperia lineup.

Sony isn't alone in hoping to draw converts from Apple's platform. HTC, another Android manufacturer overshadowed by Samsung, released its own Sync Manager, which performs largely the same tasks as Sony's software, aiming to attract iPhone users to its new premium HTC One device.

How either company will fare has yet to be seen. While there have been some unspecified claims of success in attracting iPhone users to other platforms, brand loyalty is especially strong among iOS product owners. This is due in no small part to the iOS ecosystem, which is believed by some to have superior quality apps. Some apps are also iOS exclusive, making switching difficult unless the developer has made a version of the software available on a competing app strore.