Everyone knows that Apple does a stellar job of getting its users to upgrade to its latest version of iOS, but how does it do at convincing customers to buy its latest iPhones and iPads, rather than settling for cheaper older models?
Very well, and getting better all the time, according to new market research from the Chicago-based Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.
Looking at consumer data for the calendar quarter which ended June 30, CIRP noted that the flagship iPhone 5s accounted for an impressive 62 percent of total iPhone sales in the quarter, while the iPad Air took 52 percent of all iPad sales in the quarter. Why is this significant?
Well, it’s particularly good news for a company like Apple which relies on putting out new iterative products each year, which it hopes customers will buy to replace their existing models. It also shows that Apple is taking the right approach by targeting wealthier, higher-end customers, since this means that they would rather pay the extra to have the latest Apple product rather than a cheaper model like the iPhone 4s or a previous iPad.
This effect seems to be speeding up too, since in both the iPhone and iPad category, the newer flagship models dominated more than in the previous year — where the then-new iPhone 5 accounted for 52 percent of iPhone sales, and the comparable iPad flagship — the iPad with Retina — accounted for less than a third of sales.
Seeing as the iPhone 5 was a “full” release (rather than the less significant update that is traditionally the “s” model) this figures are very impressive, and bode well for the coming iPhone 6, which is one of the most eagerly-awaited iPhone updates in Apple history.
And let’s not forget what a tiny fraction of Samsung customers are buying that company’s current flop flagship phone…
Source: CIRP
