Despite what seems like too much iPhone 5 speculation at times, technical specifications and design details regarding Apple’s fifth-generation device are still very much a mystery to mere mortals like you and I. However, that doesn’t stop 35% of consumers wanting to buy the device before they’ve even seen it.
A recent Experian PriceGrabber survey of 2,852 consumers found that 7% of people want to grab the iPhone 5 within its first week on the market, while 14% want to get it within the first month. 51% said they’d buy it within the first year of its release. What’s more, 69% of consumers said they’d rather receive Apple’s iPhone 5 as a gift over the Samsung Galaxy S II, Droid Bionic, or BlackBerry Curve.
Graham Jones, PriceGrabber general manager, said in the company’s press release:
“Our survey data confirms the strong following Apple has built around its iPhone, with more than one-third of consumers planning to upgrade to the latest model only a little over a year following the release of the iPhone 4.”
This news, surely, is a testament to Apple and its products and the trust its customers place in them. Can you honestly say you’d buy another product from another company before you’ve seen it or even know anything about it?
Wired believes that both Apple’s App Store and retails stores are contributing factors:
Apple’s well-curated, well-populated App Store presents consumers with a wide variety of quality apps to choose from. Other app stores still just don’t stack up, either suffering from a lack of content, a lack of profit (for developers), the presence of malware, or sudden app removals.
If you’ve got a problem with an Apple product, Apple’s brick-and-mortar stores offer a convenient, reliable way to get help or get a fix. Apple even has an app for its App Store, so you can easily schedule appointments if, for instance, your iPhone’s home button suddenly quits functioning.
Right now, you can add me to that 7% of customers who want to purchase the iPhone 5 within its first week of release. My contract is due to end in September — just in time! — so I’ll be sure to grab the new device as soon as it’s available. I’m not sure I’d be so keen if my contact wasn’t ready to end, however.
