78% of Teens Surveyed Own an iPhone, 82% Plan to Purchase

[MacRumors]

The iPhone's popularity among teens continues to grow, according to new data gathered by investment firm Piper Jaffray for the fall edition of its semiannual U.S. teen survey.

78 percent of teens surveyed own an iPhone, up two percent from the spring 2017 survey conducted earlier this year. 82 percent of teens said their next smartphone will be an iPhone, the highest amount of interest ever noted in one of these surveys.

This jump in interest can perhaps be attributed to the 2017 iPhone lineup, which includes the iPhone X with an edge-to-edge display and a TrueDepth camera for facial recognition purposes.

Teen interest in the Apple Watch is also up, and 17 percent of teens surveyed said they plan to buy an Apple Watch in the next six months, up from 13 percent in spring 2017.

Piper Jaffray says the survey is a "positive point" on iPhone 8 demand and iPhone X demand, and increasing interested in the Apple Watch.

Apple Music also made an appearance in the survey, gaining share alongside Spotify and YouTube as teens move away from streaming services like Pandora.

On-demand music services like Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music (30%, 20%, and 17%) continue to gain market share among teens, as more traditional platforms and Pandora continue to lose share.

Piper Jaffray's fall 2017 teen survey covered 6,100 teens across 44 states in the United States with an average age of 15.9 years.

Article Link: 78% of Teens Surveyed Own an iPhone, 82% Plan to Purchase

 

[0007776]

Are that many kids parents actually buying them new phones? I get handing your old iPhone down, but I have a hard time imagining that that many parents are willing to spend $1000 on a phone for their kid to check Facebook.

 

[rjohnstone]

Are that many kids parents actually buying them new phones? I get handing your old iPhone down, but I have a hard time imagining that that many parents are willing to spend $1000 on a phone for their kid to check Facebook.

Mine got a hand me down for her first one, and iPhone 4.
She then got a 5S (she paid for the phone, I covered the plan) and later and SE.
No way I'm handing a teenager a $1k phone. She broke the screen on the 5S and had to live with it until it was paid off.
She learned her lesson on the 5S and now has insurance on the SE.

 

[NexusUser]

Are that many kids parents actually buying them new phones? I get handing your old iPhone down, but I have a hard time imagining that that many parents are willing to spend $1000 on a phone for their kid to check Facebook.

Sounds like that percentage should actually be out of all teenagers with cell phones, and is probably due to hand me down iPhones from their parents. They're going to be in for a shock at the price when it comes time to buy their own phone.

 

[mv9092]

Are that many kids parents actually buying them new phones? I get handing your old iPhone down, but I have a hard time imagining that that many parents are willing to spend $1000 on a phone for their kid to check Facebook.

It is possible to walk into a store and buy last year's model for not that much. Also now there are the plans to pay per month.

 

[Candlelight]

"Son, you need to learn the importance of money. Now here's your new iphone which cost me a month's salary".

 

[BoneCollector]

It's almost exclusively due to herd mentality -- people at that age especially want to fit in and not be missing out (making sure they have the same platform for iMessage, apps, etc).

 

[Jimmy James]

I'd be in the 22% had I been a teen in this era.

 

[Kabeyun]

Maybe Apple hasn’t lost its cool after all.

 

[kemal]

The iPhone cost is the new normal. Before it was just the cost of the crappy feature phone and the voice only plan. I think it is worth it considering the potential good.

 

[MrX8503]

I wish I had a phone at all when I was a teen. My parents never bought me a phone growing up and now that I'm an adult, I bought my mom an iPhone. Imagine that.

 

[djcerla]

Are that many kids parents actually buying them new phones? I get handing your old iPhone down, but I have a hard time imagining that that many parents are willing to spend $1000 on a phone for their kid to check Facebook.

Just spoke today with the mother of a 15 yrs old boy. He has a 5S and she offered him a choice between the Samsung S8+ and the iPhone X. (For the records he picked the S8 citing “better display definition”).

 

[NachoGrande]

until their parents see the price...

 

[hawkeye_a]

A segment of the market with the least real world experience and probably most susceptible to fads, likes iPhones. Is this supposed to be a "positive" for the product/brand?

 

[OneMike]

These polls are pointless as are most polls in general.

 

[JayIsAwesome]

Damn getting to have an iPhone when you're a teen? Must be nice lol. First phone I got was a Nokia AT&T gophone. Didn't get my first "cool phone" until I switched to Verizon and started paying my own bill

 

[2010mini]

Are that many kids parents actually buying them new phones? I get handing your old iPhone down, but I have a hard time imagining that that many parents are willing to spend $1000 on a phone for their kid to check Facebook.

In the US only very few people pay for phones upfront. It is usually buried in their monthly cellular bills. So you are less likely to get sticker shock if you are paying $25/month.

 

[maerz001]

It is possible to walk into a store and buy last year's model for not that much. Also now there are the plans to pay per month.

aha. news everywhere. but monthly pays still add up to the same

 

[CarpalMac]

When I was a teenager I remember saying that my next car would be a Lotus Carlton. 2 decades later, I'm still waiting.

Seriously though, rightly or wrongly, Apple is now and for at least the forseeable going to maintain their cool rating, which is really what this research shows.

 

[JayIsAwesome]

Just spoke today with the mother of a 15 yrs old boy. He has a 5S and she offered him a choice between the Samsung S8+ and the iPhone X. (For the records he picked the S8 citing “better display definition”).

I remember this lady came into my store back in 2013 and bought her 11yr old an iPhone 5S. Damn thing was like 750 dollars lol

 

[djcerla]

I remember this lady came into my store back in 2013 and bought her 11yr old an iPhone 5S. Damn thing was like 750 dollars lol

I don’t know when and who bought that 5S but sure enough he’s 15 and he sports a 5S.

 

[deanthedev]

Smart kids.

 

[JayIsAwesome]

I don’t know when and who bought that 5S but sure enough he’s 15 and he sports a 5S.

Most likely that kid from my store is getting an iPhone 10 lol. I personally think it's weird to drop that much money on a kid especially on something like a phone. But hey maybe that's just me. If the parent thinks it's OK then cool lol but I just couldn't do it

 

[macTW]

Are that many kids parents actually buying them new phones? I get handing your old iPhone down, but I have a hard time imagining that that many parents are willing to spend $1000 on a phone for their kid to check Facebook.

Nobody said they purchased that phone.

There’s a reason Apple continues to sell the 6S...

 

[Faelan]

Ah, those teenage years. We didn’t even have cellphones. I did have an Amiga 500 with a Phillips color monitor though, which was not exactly cheap back then.