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Apple users are holding onto their devices for increasingly long periods of time as upgrade cycles slow, data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) suggests.

homekit-devices-feature-orange3.jpg

In recent years, a shift has occurred in the behavior of Apple customers, who are increasingly opting to retain their iPhones, iPads, and Macs for extended periods before upgrading. In the most recent 12-month period, 71% of iPhone owners and 68% of Mac owners reported that their previous device was over two years old, up from 63% and 59%, respectively, in 2020.

In the specific case of the Mac, CIRP indicates a substantial increase in the length of time users keep their devices. Currently, 56% of Mac customers hold onto their laptops or desktops for three years or more, a significant rise from 40% in 2020. This trend has led to a decline in shorter lifecycle lengths, with fewer users keeping their Macs for less than three years. CIRP's research suggests that the transition to Apple Silicon, which began in 2020 with the introduction of the M1 chip, has played a crucial role in this shift. Apple Silicon has delivered significant performance and energy efficiency improvements, making Macs more capable of handling demanding tasks for several years.


cirp-2020-2024.jpg


Age of previous Mac for Apple customers buying a new Mac (12 months ending March of each year)

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic also likely influenced consumer behavior. During the early stages of the pandemic, there was a surge in demand for technology to support remote work and online education, but economic uncertainy followed and many consumers became more cautious with their spending, opting to maximize the lifespan of their existing devices rather than investing in new ones. Battery life improvements in MacBooks have also reached a satisfactory threshold for many users, further reducing the incentive to upgrade frequently.

This phenomenon has similarly been noted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who recently said that the percentage of iPhone and Mac users whose previous device was older than two years has risen sharply. He attributed the shift to several factors, including fewer significant features in new models, improved durability and reliability of devices, and changing user needs. The increased reliance on streaming services and web-based applications means that for many users, their current devices remain sufficiently powerful and capable for everyday tasks. As a result, the traditional motivations for frequent upgrades, such as the need for better cameras, more storage, or faster processing speeds, have diminished.


Article Link: Apple Users Are Keeping Their Devices for Longer as Upgrades Slow
Apple prices are getting crazy and cost of living skyrocketing can't justify upgrading devices that are still perfectly good and does everything you need.

The crazy prices might be good for profit margins, will kill new sales. Gibson guitars was whining about this a couple years ago their sales had fallen way off, the problem was their prices for a new Gibson was too high so used Gibsons were selling like crazy. Apple to try and cut down on used sales made it harder and harder for 3rd parties to get parts to repair or restoration of used Apple devices.
 
I'm a little torn this time around. I was going to hang on to my 13 mini for at least 2 years but decided to big with the 14 Pro Max halfway thru its run. Can I really sit out 2 iPhone launches in a row and keep this 2022 phone thru 2025? There's nothing wrong with it and the 16 Pro Max is unlikely to add much new stuff.
 
I'm surprised at how many people upgrade their Macs after three years. I figured most normies didn't care that much? But maybe a lot of those people are the same people who are buying base spec 8GB RAM models and get frustrated. Although I'm not sure if that argument holds much weight given that they haven't increased the base RAM for like a decade?

I consider myself a power user and I typically like to upgrade every 6 years or so. But I also buy a nicely spec'd machine and understand how my needs will grow over time, based on experience.
 
Have a Mini M1 16GB as well as a M2P Pro in my office, I can't see much of a difference between the two for my office use tasks. Can't imagine upgrading anytime soon, still have a i5 11th gen Thinkpad and it's super fast and does everything I could ask of it, same with my 10th gen Xeon HP Z2. No new tech for me, maybe go from my iPhone 13 to a SE4 when they come out.
 
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Up until very recently, I've been an Apple everything guy for about 20 years. However, the ever-fattening-margin (historically under 40%, now nearing 50%) and decisions to "force" buying fundamental upgrades like RAM & SSD from the one & only "company store" have been a major turnoff... especially when comparing Apple upgrade pricing vs. market... and/or remembering Apple upgrades vs. the flexibility to get RAM & SSD from third parties in the Intel Mac days.

I've been ready to buy a new Mac laptop for TWO years now... but when I up the RAM & SSD, the wallet closes tightly. It could be an easy sale for Apple if the perception of relative VALUE was there for me. It's not now... and I'm shopping PC alternatives as my ever-aging MBpro is getting near its end.

Do I WANT to go PC? No. But I also do not want to pay 3X-5X market for Apple RAM & SSD upgrades. No amount of spin (like "8GB Apple Ram = 16GB PC") or Apple Defense Force spin changes my perception. I've always paid an Apple premium for a couple of decades. Now that premium has fattened a bit too much. What was once a 100% Apple household, now has a PC in it for "old fashioned bootcamp" (because ARM Windows is not full Windows). As a result, I've re-discovered that Windows 11 is not nearly as bad as we spin it and I can get quite a loaded PC (in a world of tremendous competition) for the budget of a Mac. In fact, for less than the budget of only the 8TB SSD updated in a Mac (sans the rest of the Mac), I picked up a loaded gaming PC with 10TB of SSD and 32GB of RAM.

Currently I'm personally 2/3rds Mac, 1/3rd PC (aging MBpro, Silicon Mac Studio, Gaming PC). I'm not far from flipping that with a PC laptop. 5 years+ ago, I couldn't even think this way. Modern Apple "shareholders above all else" policy is driving me in that direction. I doubt I'm the only one.

I don't think it's about the economy or tech robustness being "good enough." I think the profiteering for "another record quarter" has simply gone too far... and those of us not intoxicated on Apple nectar are not seduced to "just pay ANYTHING" for new tech. Show me greater VALUE Apple. Or correct your pricing, particularly for commodities like RAM & SSD. An Apple premium is not abhorrent... but it can fatten only so far before some of us decide "enough is enough" even if we "prefer macOS, etc"
 
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Still rocking an M1 MacBook Pro and just got a refurbished 11" M1 iPad Pro. I might upgrade from my iPhone XR this year though.
I feel like apple shot themselves in the foot in terms of the ipad with how terrible the software is and you don't need the latest model for it to still do pretty much everything. I still am running my M1 Ipad Pro and haven't felt tempted to upgrade at anytime. Is oled nice? Yes, but is it worth the price when my M1 still does everything the new one can do? Not at all. Same with my M1 MBA.
 
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Onto my third Mac in, errr, 14 or 15 years I think. First was an Intel MacBook Pro, then a MacBook Air (also Intel I think?) then a MacBook Air M1 shortly after it came out. I have zero reason to upgrade (in fact I wouldn’t say I had much reason to upgrade the last two either 😂) especially as I got the M1 with 1Tb of storage and maxed out the memory too. So, that’s probably 4 years old I guess - will hang onto it for a long time I suspect.
 
Devices are a commodity these days, no reason to upgrade. Innovation is dead at Apple. We don't need more emoji. We certainly don't need AI, which is all Apple is focusing on for the next couple of years.

Apple failed with the car, failed with Carplay 2, failed with Siri. Just imagine where we would be if Apple had applied the car investment into Siri. Apple increases bugs with every new release, and never seems to reduce them.

We need tech leadership at Apple, not a supply chain guy.

It is time for Cook to be replaced.

You do understand that upgrading Siri is the same as investing in AI, right? Because it does not sound like you do, at all.

You do also understand that Apple was able to take a lot of the AI work that they've done on the car project and apply it to other projects, right? Because it does not sound like you do, at all.
 
Yes. I still use my XS Max on its original battery on one of my lines and I use my t2o year old 13 Pro Max as my work phone. I bought it in August 2022. No need to update every year. I did that the first 5 iPhone models and then stopped with the 6. Both phones are jailbroken so I can spoof my location for work.

I still have my 2021 16" MBP and my 2020 MBA with 8GB. Both are just perfect and I have no plans to replaces them for a few more years at least.
 
Onto my third Mac in, errr, 14 or 15 years I think. First was an Intel MacBook Pro, then a MacBook Air (also Intel I think?) then a MacBook Air M1 shortly after it came out. I have zero reason to upgrade (in fact I wouldn’t say I had much reason to upgrade the last two either 😂) especially as I got the M1 with 1Tb of storage and maxed out the memory too. So, that’s probably 4 years old I guess - will hang onto it for a long time I suspect.
Oh, and got a iPad Air 3rd generation which I use mostly for streaming TV shows. Apple Watch 6, an Apple TV and two HomePods that are probably 4 years old. Again no reason to upgrade any of those either.

The only device I upgrade more frequently is the iPhone - every two years so will probably upgrade my 14 Pro Max when the 16 comes out.
 
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Apple users are holding onto their devices for increasingly long periods of time as upgrade cycles slow, data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) suggests.

homekit-devices-feature-orange3.jpg

In recent years, a shift has occurred in the behavior of Apple customers, who are increasingly opting to retain their iPhones, iPads, and Macs for extended periods before upgrading. In the most recent 12-month period, 71% of iPhone owners and 68% of Mac owners reported that their previous device was over two years old, up from 63% and 59%, respectively, in 2020.

In the specific case of the Mac, CIRP indicates a substantial increase in the length of time users keep their devices. Currently, 56% of Mac customers hold onto their laptops or desktops for three years or more, a significant rise from 40% in 2020. This trend has led to a decline in shorter lifecycle lengths, with fewer users keeping their Macs for less than three years. CIRP's research suggests that the transition to Apple Silicon, which began in 2020 with the introduction of the M1 chip, has played a crucial role in this shift. Apple Silicon has delivered significant performance and energy efficiency improvements, making Macs more capable of handling demanding tasks for several years.


cirp-2020-2024.jpg


Age of previous Mac for Apple customers buying a new Mac (12 months ending March of each year)

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic also likely influenced consumer behavior. During the early stages of the pandemic, there was a surge in demand for technology to support remote work and online education, but economic uncertainy followed and many consumers became more cautious with their spending, opting to maximize the lifespan of their existing devices rather than investing in new ones. Battery life improvements in MacBooks have also reached a satisfactory threshold for many users, further reducing the incentive to upgrade frequently.

This phenomenon has similarly been noted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who recently said that the percentage of iPhone and Mac users whose previous device was older than two years has risen sharply. He attributed the shift to several factors, including fewer significant features in new models, improved durability and reliability of devices, and changing user needs. The increased reliance on streaming services and web-based applications means that for many users, their current devices remain sufficiently powerful and capable for everyday tasks. As a result, the traditional motivations for frequent upgrades, such as the need for better cameras, more storage, or faster processing speeds, have diminished.


Article Link: Apple Users Are Keeping Their Devices for Longer as Upgrades Slow

Just saw a customer yesterday who is finally replacing an 11 year old iMac. For how he's using it, really should get one of the newer Macs w/ a Mx Pro chip w/ 32GB ram, but opted for the new iMac w/ standard M3 and 24GM ram instead..

I predict that this new purchase won't last 11 years. 4-5 maybe?

My most recent upgrade was from a 2012 non-retina MBP to a new MBP... Could be a 5 year investment I suppose? Most of the reason I held out so long was the crappy butterfly KB, so there may be less motivation to hang on to this one for much longer than that...

Whatever you do, don't let them know that I still have a 2003 PowerMac G5 humming in the home office... ;-)
 
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Apple computers and mobile devices are just tools to get work done. Their utility is in direct relation to the type of work you do. It’s not about living an ostentatious lifestyle. It just a matter of how much is this going to help me get my work done faster and efficiently?
 
Perhaps people are keeping it longer because most do very basic things with their iPhones and iPhone continues to advance every year. This is why iPhone needs more powerful and interesting and valuable software features every year that only the newer devices can use.
 
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IMO this is a result of rising cost along with plateauing innovation both hitting at the same time. With the exception of the new AI features in iOS 18, there has been little reason for average people to upgrade their iPhones for the past 5+ years… I still know people with iPhone 11s still going strong. Other than 5G there’s hasn’t been any major upgrades or design changes that would impact their day to day use. I personally still have my 13 Pro Max that realistically probably has another 2+ years in it before it starts to slow down. The only reason I’m upgrading this year is for the AI and 3 years worth of camera upgrades.

Now if Apple REALLY wants to increase updates they need to revamp their trade in system. Trade credit needs to be more fair and the trade in process should be much smoother and allow for any Apple device to be traded in at the store rather than going through their sketchy mail in exchange.
 
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Even though I find James Carville to be not much more than an overpaid hillbilly, I have to quote him on this one: "It's the economy, stupid".
 
I just hope this doesn't make Apple resort to unethical methods to get people to upgrade - such as feature barriers unrelated to hardware limitations, a reduction on software support and cheaper batteries that degrade faster.

We're already sort of seeing this with Apple Intelligence and software support on Apple Watches.

It's really easy for them to camouflage those methods and spin them into a neutral way, but we'll know what's going on.
For years Apple has been excluding features in their newest firmware from running on older models that could easily run them to entice people to buy the latest model.

For instance, I held on to my iPhone 6 Plus for 7 years until I replaced it with an iPhone 13. In that time there were many features introduced on each new iteration that my phone didn’t get. The last straw was when I bought an Apple Watch SE, but it couldn’t pair with my iPhone.
 
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