According to a recent survey, 37 percent of American teenagers are hoping to buy an iPhone in the next six months, where around 20 percent will go big for the iPad. Why?
Because of the company’s “cool factor,” of course!
“Apple’s dominance in the mobile and online music markets is going seemingly unchecked, coupled with rising interest in the iPhone and iPad,” Piper Jaffray senior research analyst Gene Munster wrote in a note to investors obtained by PC Mag.
Jaffray polled 4,500 high school students to determine their level of interest in Apple products, and concluded that interest in the iPhone is at an all-time high of 37 percent.
“We believe the teen demographic is a critical component of long-term growth in the mobile market, and Apple is taking its lead in music and leveraging it in the mobile category,” explained Munster.
Jaffray confirmed that approximately 17 percent of teens surveyed already owned an iPhone, while 22 percent owned a tablet (or had one in their household).
Besides expressing interest in buying an iPhone, around 20 percent of the teens hoped to purchase a tablet over the next six months.
“We believe this is a positive for Apple given the iPad’s dominant position in the tablet market,” opined Munster.
The interest in tablets coincides with recent statistics published by Deutsche Bank stating that PC sales got off to a slow start this year due to “greater than expected” penetration of the market by smartphones and tablets.
As far as music players go, Apple still dominates 86 percent of the teen market. Still, it’s not all about iPods, as approximately 53 percent of teens listening to music on their smartphones.
To obtain music for these devices, 77 percent of the students download music from the web with around 65 percent opting for file-sharing networks rather than legal MP3 stores. Those who download music legally typically opt for Apple’s iTunes.
“With the addition of new features to iTunes software and the Ping social network we believe Apple is well-positioned to hold its lead and even extend it.
“Also, the App Store has likely been a driver for teens to use the iTunes Store for free apps, then look to purchase music in the music section of the store,” added Munster.
These statistics further confirm what we already knew: Apple is cool and teens want to buy their products. Yes, function is certainly part of it, but the sexy factor is definitely the second part of the equation.
