Report: iPads Retained and Repurposed Much More Often Than iPhones

[MacRumors]

iPad owners are more likely to keep or repurpose their old devices compared to iPhones, according to data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).

The data, covering the twelve months ending in March 2024, shows that 67 percent of repeat iPad buyers keep their old iPads or pass them on to family and friends. This is a notable contrast to iPhone users, where only 41 percent keep or hand down their previous phones. About one-third of old iPads are handed down to family members or friends, compared to about 10 percent of old iPhones.

This suggests that iPads, even when they are replaced, remain highly desirable and usable, which diminishes the urgency to upgrade to a newer model. This behavior contrasts with iPhone users, who are much more likely to trade in their old devices. Nearly half of iPhone upgraders trade in their previous phones, taking advantage of the secondary market and higher trade-in values. In contrast, fewer than 10 percent of iPad upgraders opt for trade-ins.

23 percent of iPad upgraders report replacing their old devices due to loss, theft, or damage, whereas only six percent of iPhone upgraders cite these reasons. This indicates that iPads are frequently replaced out of necessity rather than a desire to upgrade.

CIRP's report also sheds light on the upgrade cycles for these devices. Forty percent of iPad users wait three years or more before upgrading, a figure that has steadily increased over recent years. This is in stark contrast to iPhone users, who typically upgrade more frequently and are influenced by a much stronger trade-in market.

These trends suggest that iPads continue to serve valuable roles within households even after being replaced by newer models. The secondary market for refurbished iPads appears to be much less developed than that for iPhones, possibly due to the high retained value that old iPads provide to their owners. While Apple may prefer customers to be motivated to upgrade to the latest models for their new features, the data indicates that many iPad upgrades are still driven by necessity rather than desire.

Article Link: Report: iPads Retained and Repurposed Much More Often Than iPhones

 

[magicschoolbus]

Not exactly surprising espically when you look at the trade in values.

I looked at what a trade in on my m1 11 inch would be on Best Buy and Apple; both were 400$. Now, I have the Apple Keyboard and Pencil for this device. It also still runs circles around anything I do. Is it worth giving up almost 400$ in peripherals and only getting 400$ for a perfectly good iPad? I’d rather just hold onto it and find a different use for it, give it to another family member, etc for that price.

 

[thadoggfather]

I could've told you that

 

[iPadFan2010]

Yep still have a few older models, including the first Gen.

 

[tomtad]

Mother Nature likes this

 

[return2sendai]

Sample sizes?

 

[turbineseaplane]

I'd literally still be day to day using an iPhone SE1 if it were supported and/or iOS hadn't become so bloated

iOS 15 is still fine on it mostly, but App devs start dropping it for no great reason

I have one on iOS10 and it just flies
iOS is so bloated ... it's sad

 

[JosephAW]

Was still using an iPhone 4S on iOS 8 as an aquarium clock until the battery died recently. If the battery is replaced I’m good for another couple years.

 

[Account25476]

42% trade-in? 😳 I didn't expect bo the that hight?
I sold my last iPhone for like 200€ online after a few days when Apple trade-in was offering me 50€...

Costumer are dumper than I was expecting...

 

[WWPD]

I upgrade my iPad every time there is a new one. I don't know about you, but I don't want people to point and laugh at me when I enter a Starbucks with a last gen iPad.

 

[Andres Cantu]

Mother Nature likes this

Not Mother StockPrice though

 

[JosephAW]

91-year-old mom is still using an iPad Air gen1 with soloslides as a slide show frame of iCloud Photos that family can post to.

My gf still is using an iPhone SE Gen 1. She doesn’t like the bigger phones
Waiting for the next small iPhone.

 

[McWetty]

For me personally, I used to trade in my iPhones to the carrier when upgrading. But now that the carriers have terrible upgrade policies and lock ins, I opt for repurposing the phones. Never had that vector with my iPads. My son got my 12Pro when I got my 15Pro this year.

 

[SpotOnT]

This suggests that iPads, even when they are replaced, remain highly desirable and usable…

Or it shows that iPhones are much more expensive/burdensome and people can only upgrade their phones by selling/trading in their old phones.

Or it shows that iPhones have a much better used market, where it is worth peoples time to sell/trade in their old phone.

I don’t think “hand down” necessarily proves “highly desirable” or “more desirable than”. People often hand down baby clothes worth a few dollars, whereas people rarely hand down a used car worth tens of thousands of dollars. Does that suggest baby clothes are more desirable than a car?

Not buying the logic in this article.

(Although the “tend to replace only after stolen/damaged/lost aspect was interesting.)

 

[antonrg]

I've used my iPad Air 2 for 8 years. It's still at home and being used by my family for browsing and watching videos. I hope my Air 5 lasts me just as long.

 

[rgwebb]

iPads have been a real trickle-down techonomics deal in our household. We just repurposed my dad's iPad (5th gen) to be a YouTube Kids video player in one of those bulky kid friendly cases. My dad received my mom's old iPad (7th gen) because I got her an iPad (10th gen) for Mother's Day. Everyone is happy. Mom loves the new home button free form factor. Dad loves that the NYT Crossword app shows a bit more information on the 10.2in screen. We have something for playing YouTube Kids without taking over the television now.

For whatever it's worth, will likely be getting my wife's 2018 iPad Pro 11in in a few months when she upgrades.

 

[brofkand]

There hasn't been a compelling reason to upgrade an iPad in years and years.

 

[clayj]

iPads don't require cellular contracts in order to remain useful. #obvious

 

[00001000bit]

This article is incorrectly assuming a cause that explains the effect.

iPads are held onto more than phones. Yes. But, most people don't have the opportunity to trade in iPads to offset the cost of a new one in the same way they do with phones. Sure, they can arrange a private sale, or use one of the buyback sites, but phones have typically had an easy "trade it in at point of purchase of a new phone" that takes all the effort out of it.

I've traded in old iPhones in the past. But, I still have my Gen 1 iPad (just in a drawer of old tech) simply because there was no real good opportunity to ever use it to offset a new one.

 

[StuBeck]

42% trade-in? 😳 I didn't expect bo the that hight?
I sold my last iPhone for like 200€ online after a few days when Apple trade-in was offering me 50€...

Costumer are dumper than I was expecting...

This could be related to carriers as well. I've traded in most of my iPhones because of "deals" where I get a heavily subsidized amount for the phone versus what I could sell it for outright. No one cares about my 2nd or 4th gen iPad Pros, so I still have them, but my iPhone 13 Pros were probably re-sold by ATT to someone.

 

[smithdr]

Yep. My iPad from 2018 sit atop my Concept 2 rower. To slow for anything else other than to report out stroke rate, 500 m splits, wattage, etc.

 

[ricketysquire]

Normally I'd give my old devices to family, but this time I just got them a 2021 iPad 9 instead when it was on sale at Best Buy. I still use my 2020 iPad 8, it meets my needs and I just couldn't find an excuse to upgrade. Buying a new device to replace their no longer (software) supported iPad 5 was cheaper than me upgrading and giving them my old device.

 

[Remy149]

Or it shows that iPhones are much more expensive/burdensome and people can only upgrade their phones by selling/trading in their old phones.

Or it shows that iPhones have a much better used market, where it is worth peoples time to sell/trade in their old phone.

I don’t think “hand down” necessarily proves “highly desirable” or “more desirable than”. People often hand down baby clothes worth a few dollars, whereas people rarely hand down a used car worth tens of thousands of dollars. Does that suggest baby clothes are more desirable than a car?

Not buying the logic in this article.

(Although the “tend to replace only after stolen/damaged/lost aspect was interesting.)

I upgrade my phone annually because I like having the latest model. However I treat my iPads and MacBooks differently. I just upgraded to an m4 pro from a 2018 pro. Phones are a lot of people primary device and secondary devices like iPads have a long shelf life.

 

[mthe1718]

I have a gen1 iPad that still works.

 

[raindogg]

I think most people only use their iPad for consumption. It's almost impossible to do any real work on it. For me, everything takes 3 times longer to do than my Mac. So if my 6 year old iPad still plays YouTube then why buy a new one.