More Android-to-iPhone switchers coming from international markets - report

Apple revealed this week that the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus attracted more Android users than ever before. But new data suggests that the rate of Android switchers in the U.S. was steady last quarter, implying that international users are the ones who made the jump to iPhone in record numbers.

New data published by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners on Thursday shows that 19 percent of U.S. iPhone customers reported switching from an Android phone last quarter. That's squarely in the 16-to-26-percent range of Android switchers tracked over the last 10 quarters in America.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook revealed this week that the debut of the larger iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus resulted in the highest Android switcher rate of any of the past three years.

CIRP hypothesizes that most Android switchers are coming from emerging international markets where the smartphone space is still seeing significant growth. In mature markets like the U.S., the research firm has seen that an increasing share of buyers are repeat iPhone customers.

CIRP's surveys show the U.S. switch rate for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus was up from last year's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c debut. But it was about the same as in 2012, when the company debuted the iPhone 5.

CIRP's data is based on quarterly surveys of U.S. Apple customers conducted since 2012. Each survey covers 500 customers that purchased an iPhone, iPad or Mac in the U.S.

As iPhone growth has continued at astonishing rates, international sales of Apple's handset have become the focal point of the company's continued success. Notably, Apple earned a huge $16.1 billion from Greater China last quarter, almost surpassing revenue from Europe.

In total, Apple earned a record smashing $74.6 billion in revenue in its first quarter of fiscal 2015. With blockbuster sales of 74.5 million iPhones in the three-month frame, Apple sold its one-billionth iOS device during the quarter.