iPhone 8 will drive biggest iPhone growth since 2015, IDC says

International Data Corporation (IDC) said Tuesday that it expects that the Apple iPhone 8 will “spur a major upgrade cycle” in 2018 and drive iPhone shipments up by 9.1 percent.

The research firm said iPhone shipments were down 7 percent in 2016 and are on pace to grow just 1.5 percent this year. While there are reports of delays related to the iPhone 8, IDC said that “a majority of the shipments are likely to land in early 2018,” suggesting that consumers are going to jump at the chance to buy Apple’s new iPhone.

A large part of the growth is attributed to smartphone upgrades. Despite new carrier plans which encourage consumers to lease smartphones with device installment plans for frequent upgrades, IDC says most consumers are going to continue to upgrade their smartphones “roughly every two years.”

IDC’s report shows that Android still has the lion’s share of the global smartphone market with an 85.2 percent grip, up 2.3 percent from last year. The iOS operating system has a 14.6 percent share, up 1.5 percent from last year.

Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 8, in addition to the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, in September.

Courtesy CNBC