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Research Shows a Slower Apple Device Upgrade among Consumers
You don’t have to be an analyst to know that this is bad for Apple. A slower upgrade means fewer iPhones or iPads will be sold to consumers who would want to replace their smartphones.
Consumer Intelligence Research Partners conducted a quarterly survey of nearly 3000 US iPhone users and revealed that roughly 50% of the population are upgrading from a device aged 2 years or older. This is more than just a first world problem, it means people are using their iPhones longer and upgrade later than what it used to be.
This may be a badge of honor for Apple for the durability and performance of their devices. Higher satisfaction level among consumers is always a good and healthy status. However, CIRP points out that the slower rate of change in iPhone features is the main reason for the slow upgrade cycle.
Carriers who also provide contracts and plans even encourages iPhone owners to hold on to their current phone. Normal lifecycle of any handheld device such as a smartphone is exactly two years so this makes so much sense.
According to research, 12% of iPhone users upgraded the past quarter with a 3 year old iPhone. A 37% still clings to a gadget they purchased between early 2013 and 2014, 40% are on the 2 year and older smartphones, 10% are willing to make a change.
