This is a direct result of Parents upgrading iPhones and passing the previous model down to their children.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone Usage Among U.S. Teens Hits 40% as iPad Continues to Gain Traction
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
My kids get my old iPhones and they use them as WiFi iPod Touches. They have been running around with these iPhones since they were 8 and 10.
I'm not paying any service for these phones though. They do have app store and iTunes access.
If you read the fandroid comments across the web you'd think there was this majority animosity for iPhone, but it is hardly the case. There is vocal minority who claims that some Android phones are better, but if you go to the grocery store and ask the clerk behind the counter if they heard when the Galaxy S4 or the Motorola Droid RAZR HD is due out they will just look at you funny. If you ask if they heard when the next iPhone is coming out they will say "I heard they just released the iPhone 5". If you asked in June they would have said "I heard the iPhone 5 is coming out soon".
If you think about it, this is the sort of status that Microsoft had achieved over Apple with Windows over Mac for many years. Folks actually knew and cared when Windows was upgrading. They assumed that all computers ran Windows. Now most folks just associate iPhone with being "the best smartphone" and they care about when iPhone releases. This bodes well for AAPL stock despite the recent down-turn from skittish investors.
If you look at this article you will see that Samsung's most loyal folks (i.e.: the folks that actually visit their Facebook page) are slamming their devices and that 63% of Samsung-owning Australians surveyed said they would switch to iPhone 5.
Customer satisfaction with iPhone is through the roof. 94% of iPhone owners say they will buy another. Yet a much larger position of forum commenters are constantly saying "I used to own an iPhone, switched to Android and never looked back". My guess: most forum commenters who say stuff like that are trolling -- either that or the 6% of folks who don't plan to buy another iPhone are the folks who post to these forums.
If you think about it, this is the sort of status that Microsoft had achieved over Apple with Windows over Mac for many years. Folks actually knew and cared when Windows was upgrading. They assumed that all computers ran Windows. Now most folks just associate iPhone with being "the best smartphone" and they care about when iPhone releases. This bodes well for AAPL stock despite the recent down-turn from skittish investors.
If you look at this article you will see that Samsung's most loyal folks (i.e.: the folks that actually visit their Facebook page) are slamming their devices and that 63% of Samsung-owning Australians surveyed said they would switch to iPhone 5.
Customer satisfaction with iPhone is through the roof. 94% of iPhone owners say they will buy another. Yet a much larger position of forum commenters are constantly saying "I used to own an iPhone, switched to Android and never looked back". My guess: most forum commenters who say stuff like that are trolling -- either that or the 6% of folks who don't plan to buy another iPhone are the folks who post to these forums.
I've always wanted to create my own words to foist on the public. It just seemed to be a doubled down line I wouldn't cross.
You on the other hand, make it look so easy, I just have to wonder why you would ever want to stop.
I hope it isn't an app. I would be so disappointed.
Almost every high schooler I know has a iphone or iphone touch. The introduction of iMessage is a huge hit
*cranky old man voice*
i got my first cell phone after college. i didn't need one before then, why do kids need one now? they should go play outside and have real conversations instead of texting and sexting and whatever kids are up to these days.
i got my first cell phone after college. i didn't need one before then, why do kids need one now? they should go play outside and have real conversations instead of texting and sexting and whatever kids are up to these days.
swingerofbirch
macrumors 68040
I just read an article that said 1 in 4 children regularly does not have access to enough food. I don't know how to reconcile that with these statistics.
Back in 1998 I bought a cell phone when I was in high school. I think the plan had 40 minutes a month or so. It was a blue Ericsson. Beautiful, solid phone. I accidentally left it on the windshield of our family car, couldn't find it for months. Drove around with it there. Months later after being through wind and rain, when I found it, it still worked.
The way in which I finally found the phone is too good of a story to pass on telling, though a bit O/T:
My mom drove me out of town to an academic bowl competition. I think it was called the Blue Crab Bowl; it was on ecological topics. Anyhow, I was really sick with a flu. As soon as I got out of the car, I ran in front of the car toward a grassy area and vomited. With my head down in that position, I saw the phone on the windshield. The phone that had been missing for months. It was kind of exciting and slightly mitigated feeling so awful.
Anyhow, I'm 30 now and have never owned a smartphone. It's pretty weird. I was one of the first people in my circle to have a laptop, as well, but I have never owned a tablet. My current phone is an LG Dare I've had for probably three years or so. I don't like it as much as that Ericsson phonethat I can say safely. My laptop is a 13" MacBook Pro, liked those much less since Lion/Mountain Lion interrupted my workflow.
Guess I am an old/old-fashioned guy now.
Back in 1998 I bought a cell phone when I was in high school. I think the plan had 40 minutes a month or so. It was a blue Ericsson. Beautiful, solid phone. I accidentally left it on the windshield of our family car, couldn't find it for months. Drove around with it there. Months later after being through wind and rain, when I found it, it still worked.
The way in which I finally found the phone is too good of a story to pass on telling, though a bit O/T:
My mom drove me out of town to an academic bowl competition. I think it was called the Blue Crab Bowl; it was on ecological topics. Anyhow, I was really sick with a flu. As soon as I got out of the car, I ran in front of the car toward a grassy area and vomited. With my head down in that position, I saw the phone on the windshield. The phone that had been missing for months. It was kind of exciting and slightly mitigated feeling so awful.
Anyhow, I'm 30 now and have never owned a smartphone. It's pretty weird. I was one of the first people in my circle to have a laptop, as well, but I have never owned a tablet. My current phone is an LG Dare I've had for probably three years or so. I don't like it as much as that Ericsson phonethat I can say safely. My laptop is a 13" MacBook Pro, liked those much less since Lion/Mountain Lion interrupted my workflow.
Guess I am an old/old-fashioned guy now.
I definitely might have a skewed experience, as I live in a very affluent U.S. community. But here all kids have iPhones, and contrary to what other people are saying - they are not "hand me downs". My little brother and sister (in 6th and 7th grade) got iPhone 4S's last year.
Kids in my area (even as young as 5th grade) have mobile phones now. When it comes down to it, they are pretty inexpensive to tack onto a family plan ~ $10/month and only an additional $15-$30 /month depending on the data you want. We have a AT&T iphone family plan that has 700 minutes with rollover, unlimited texting, and unlimited data, unlimited mobile to movile on 5 iPhones, net cost of $50/line - a great price!
My parents opted to get my younger siblings iPhones for a few reasons - first, it doesn't cost much more then other phones (especially since they have free iPhone models now). You can always get in touch with them, and they also have GPS so you can keep track of them (Find my iPhone etc). Not to mention, you aren't cool or popular here unless you have an iPhone.
As far as most of the people in the U.S. living in tents and lining up for food. It may be true in some areas, but certainly not all - and certainly hasn't been felt here where I live. For what its worth - here in the U.S. we are constantly shown Europeans rioting, and hearing about your financial crisises as if one day you guys will cease to exist tomorrow. Gotta love national media propaganda....
I would say that my household is probably "typical" of other households in my neighborhood. As far as apple products go we have:
(2) iPhone 5 16GB
(1) iPhone 5 64GB
(4) iPhone 4S 16GB
(1) iPad Original
(1) iPad 3
(1) Macbook Pro 13"
(1) Macbook Pro 15"
(1) iMac 27"
(1) iPod Touch 4th Gen
Although we have a rather large family, these are the apple products currently in use. If you consider what we have had through the last couple of years - Numerous iPods: iPod Nanos, iPod Shuffles, Original old school iPod, all different model revisions of various models, Original iPhone, iPhone 3GS, etc). The list goes on and on. Since early 2000's and Apple's popularity spike after the iPod's creation I would assume that we've been through at the very least: 25 Apple products, and we don't anticipate any change of brand in the near future.
We aren't an exclusive Apple household, we have a fair share of PC's and Windows Laptops. However, I believe that there is an "apple effect". Once you get one Apple product, there is a desire to get more, as there are added benefits. Everything just "works" together and so seamlessly. This is increasingly evident with iCloud and seemingly the direction they seem to be heading in. We were thinking about getting an Apple TV but are trying to wait to see if they come out with other TV offerings (as rumored).
EDIT:
Who ever said iPhone was losing popularity? It is still THE phone to have. The only unpopular phone's around here in NY are Blackberries (if anyone still has those...). The few people I know that have older blackberries and are waiting for upgrades, or people that own a Droid (Droid X, etc), are planning to upgrade and swap to an iPhone 5 as soon as supplies are more abundant.
Kids in my area (even as young as 5th grade) have mobile phones now. When it comes down to it, they are pretty inexpensive to tack onto a family plan ~ $10/month and only an additional $15-$30 /month depending on the data you want. We have a AT&T iphone family plan that has 700 minutes with rollover, unlimited texting, and unlimited data, unlimited mobile to movile on 5 iPhones, net cost of $50/line - a great price!
My parents opted to get my younger siblings iPhones for a few reasons - first, it doesn't cost much more then other phones (especially since they have free iPhone models now). You can always get in touch with them, and they also have GPS so you can keep track of them (Find my iPhone etc). Not to mention, you aren't cool or popular here unless you have an iPhone.
As far as most of the people in the U.S. living in tents and lining up for food. It may be true in some areas, but certainly not all - and certainly hasn't been felt here where I live. For what its worth - here in the U.S. we are constantly shown Europeans rioting, and hearing about your financial crisises as if one day you guys will cease to exist tomorrow. Gotta love national media propaganda....
I would say that my household is probably "typical" of other households in my neighborhood. As far as apple products go we have:
(2) iPhone 5 16GB
(1) iPhone 5 64GB
(4) iPhone 4S 16GB
(1) iPad Original
(1) iPad 3
(1) Macbook Pro 13"
(1) Macbook Pro 15"
(1) iMac 27"
(1) iPod Touch 4th Gen
Although we have a rather large family, these are the apple products currently in use. If you consider what we have had through the last couple of years - Numerous iPods: iPod Nanos, iPod Shuffles, Original old school iPod, all different model revisions of various models, Original iPhone, iPhone 3GS, etc). The list goes on and on. Since early 2000's and Apple's popularity spike after the iPod's creation I would assume that we've been through at the very least: 25 Apple products, and we don't anticipate any change of brand in the near future.
We aren't an exclusive Apple household, we have a fair share of PC's and Windows Laptops. However, I believe that there is an "apple effect". Once you get one Apple product, there is a desire to get more, as there are added benefits. Everything just "works" together and so seamlessly. This is increasingly evident with iCloud and seemingly the direction they seem to be heading in. We were thinking about getting an Apple TV but are trying to wait to see if they come out with other TV offerings (as rumored).
EDIT:
Who ever said iPhone was losing popularity? It is still THE phone to have. The only unpopular phone's around here in NY are Blackberries (if anyone still has those...). The few people I know that have older blackberries and are waiting for upgrades, or people that own a Droid (Droid X, etc), are planning to upgrade and swap to an iPhone 5 as soon as supplies are more abundant.
Last edited:
I could attest to this. I worked at a camp over the summer and about 95% of my group had iPhone 4/4s. Only one had an android phone the rest were simple phones. Kids these days
Don't believe anything you see, read, or hear from the US media. They sensationalize the crap out of everything in order to get your attention to make money from their advertising. Also, you'll always find lines when your president hands out more free entitlements.
According to Valfredo Pareto, 20% will always make 80% of the money. In the USA, 5% pay 50% of the taxes, and the 47% that pay no taxes complain that the 5% don't pay their fair share. Thank your lucky stars you don't have to live in this mess.
No, this is "of all teens." That's incredible. You know those sales numbers for Android? Um, where are they? I certainly see teens with those phones. I had thought the iPhone was getting somehow uncool. Apparently not.
Now, if 40% have iPhones, how many have Galaxies? What percentage DON'T have a smartphone?
You can also add the lack of other phone options out there. I have two kids, a 5th grader and a 9th grader. Both of them got phones in 5th grade when they were starting to walk home from school and get rides from other parents to sports practices.
I didn't realize how much the landscape changed until we went to the store. 4 years ago there was a wide range of free on contract/cheap 'message' style phones. Now 80% of the inventory is smartphones. I ended up getting him a free flip keyboard message phone.
But I'll probably just give him an old iPhone to use. His phone is useless beyond calling/texting. He wants to use his ipod touch for games/apps (can't say that I blame him). So now he's keeping up with two devices.
I can switch to a shared plan and pretty much have the whole family on it for the same amount we are paying right now.
People switch brands all the time as their needs and desires change. My first car was a Fiat 500, switched to a few Chevys, a Dodge, VW, and finally found and have settled with Toyota for the past 4 cars.
You really can't make a lifelong decision without living with the product for a significant time. Notning is perfect, so people will constantly be switching, not because what they have is no good, but because they want to try something different or see if it fits them better.
