Could Apple's $1.05 billion victory over Samsung last week be causing Android users to jump ship? That appears to be the case for at least one reseller who has noted a 50 percent increase in customers dumping their Android smartphones since the verdict.
Marketwatch is reporting that online reseller Gazelle.com has noted a 50 increase in Android-powered Samsung handsets being traded in since Friday's courtroom victory for Apple, which is causing resale values of those handsets to fall accordingly.
“Consumers seem to be jumping ship,” explained Gazelle's chief gadget officer, Anthony Scarsella. “We expect this trend to continue, especially with this latest verdict.”
Now that the jury has spoken quite loudly in Apple's favor, resellers anticipate uncertainty about the Android platform in the short term, and that's likely to affect consumers who could rely on the OS having certain features their iPhone-loving friends have enjoyed.
According to resale experts, Android-based products have never really held their value as well as Apple's iconic iPhone to begin with. For example, the previous-generation Samsung Galaxy S II fetches a mere $90 on NextWorth.com, while a similarly-spec'ed iPhone 4S can be worth as much as $300.
Apple has already earmarked eight Samsung devices they hope to get banned in the U.S. as a result of their courtroom victory -- and such a move could be the only hope resellers have for increasing the value of such handsets, with Samsung widely expected to change the next generation of their products to avoid problems in the future.
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