Does the aging iPhone user hurt new phone sales?

[lovemyspanish]

I was very surprised to see that a lot of the major players on this topic were as old as they are. I'm a 53 year old user. I am finally secure in my rights to choose what works for me. I have been a major player in the Blackberry and Android arena. I've just realize iOS works for me. I actually bought my husband his first IPhone4s. I played around with it instead of my Z10. Then after only a few months I threw in the towel with the Verizon Z10. I have never looked back. It just works and I will come back year after year.

 

[Jrome.brooks]

People buy iPhones for different things but the main things are this
1. It's simple/easy anybody can work an iPhone young and old
If your not tech savvy an Android would be foreign to you
2. The camera one of the best in the market and the most used from any smartphone

 

[LazyStarGazer]

I'm 40, oh wait... I thought this was a " tell your age" game... ����

I wanna play too!
I'm now closer to 50 than I am to 40.

 

[Mr.Willie]

First off, this is mostly based off of anecdotal evidence so don't take it too seriously; it's just a thought I had.

I'm in my twenties, and like many people my age, I'm usually chomping at the bit to get my upgrade a good 6 months prior to my actual date. I can't wait to get the latest and greatest. You should've seen the smartphone envy I had when my wife had the HTC One and I had the BlackBerry Bold 9930. Meanwhile, my Dad is the sort of person that thinks more on the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. He's rocking an LG Rumor POS slider with a non-capacitive touchscreen, and he's had an upgrade for 2 months just sitting there. I feel like a lot of older people that are not used to the quick turnover in electronics are like this, and don't mind missing out on the best features because they're comfortable with the device they had (which probably took them a long time to figure out in the first place).

In my professional life (I'm a first-year attorney) I find that a lot of middle aged and older lawyers and office staff have iPhones. They don't really know much about technology or phones or anything (one time I told a co-worker that my wife got the HTC One, specifically saying "HTC" and he asked if that was a Samsung or a Droid), but they know that the iPhone is a great phone, so they get iPhones (much like a few years back when business people knew BlackBerrys were great so they got BlackBerrys). These are the same type of people that have the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality that my Dad has. They were dragged kicking and screaming into the smart phone arena, spent forever trying to figure out this device, and don't want to rock the boat again. They will be using that iPhone 4s until it completely dies.

These people that hold on to a device until it breaks, as opposed to until it is old, seem much more likely to get an iPhone than one of the Android or Windows flagships lately. So my question is, do you think that these sort of consumers will drive down sales of iPhones in the long run compared to the other platforms? Should Apple change to try and attract more users who want to be on the cutting edge?

It's about priorities. I went with an HTC One (iPhone screen too small), of course I don't want carrier crapware on it. So it's rooted and ROMed. But the ROM is 10.0, and they currently have 12.0. There are other things I would rather be doing or are required to be doing. Same with them. What they have works, iPhone works, why waste time worrying about other systems ?

The more I read these comments, the more I find myself agreeing with you. It's not about age at all I'm finding, it's about whether or not you're a fan of tech.

I am sure these people are fans, it's about whether or not they let tech consume them. There is more to life than a fancy gadget.

I laugh when I read posts about people buying both an S4 and a HTC One. They then get all obsessive about which one to return. Just buy a flagship device and don't worry about it. Does it really matter if one phone has an 18 hour battery life and the other 18 hour, 20 minutes ?

People buy iPhones for different things but the main things are this
1. It's simple/easy anybody can work an iPhone young and old
If your not tech savvy an Android would be foreign to you
2. The camera one of the best in the market and the most used from any smartphone

Will you please provide a creditable source for the statement in bold, please. Preferably a legitimate scientific study.
If you can't, may we please let this clich? and it's over used variants die ? I did say please.

 

[Alli]

I stick with my comment. We aging iPhone users help new phone sales. We're the ones with disposable income and sense enough to spend it on what we want - the latest and greatest tech.

​I would think the 20 somethings hurt new phone sales. They don't even have jobs yet. Of course, their aging parents are helping sales if they're willing to buy a new phone for their little precious.

 

[kataran]

I fell in love with many phones in my day even have my favorite beeper in my tech draw. Currently have 6 Palm phones that I will not part with

My current iphone 5 is my first Apple phone and as nice as it is I will drop it as soon as the next one comes out I came to iOS because its the cutting edge and I decided I will stay on top of the mobile sphere for now on. I don't mind paying full price if I have too

iPhones hold there value so my loss will be minimal compared to my old tech that only has personal value to me

I agree with Alli at 48 I can afford to buy what I want. It is sad that some my age or younger buy smartphones and still use them as flip phones and are satisfied as long as they work but that number is smaller than you might think


Sent from my iPhone 5

 

[Richard Nieves]

Nope.

Almost all twenty and thirty somethings on the Metro carry iPhones.

Most teen guys carry Androids.

Most teen girls carry iPhones.

Most young teenagers carry iPhones.

That's on the DC Metro.



Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk 2

I remember visiting DC this past march right after getting my iPhone 5. It was the first iPhone I ever owned and I remember noticing that everyone I saw playing with a phone was playing with an iPhone. My girlfriend noticed too and felt left out lol.... 3 months later she now has an iPhone 5

I do agree with the vast majority on here though. I think most people are just content when not tech junkies. I also think that people sometimes just become content with their phone period. I love tech and before my iPhone I always wanted a new phone, now I feel pretty content. I will be upgrading to the next iPhone when my upgrade comes out, but I think I can actually go a full two years until I get my next upgrade! I like that the iPhone always gets update and the smoothness and stability of the OS. There are a couple android phones coming out that look awesome but I like ios and knowing I will always have an up to date and reliable phone. I've had android, windows phone and webOS so I've done my fair share of trying out other platforms. iOS has made me the happiest because I can always rely on it. Of course experiences will vary based on usage and likes ect.

 

[Richard Nieves]

I fell in love with many phones in my day even have my favorite beeper in my tech draw. Currently have 6 Palm phones that I will not part with

My current iphone 5 is my first Apple phone and as nice as it is I will drop it as soon as the next one comes out I came to iOS because its the cutting edge and I decided I will stay on top of the mobile sphere for now on. I don't mind paying full price if I have too

iPhones hold there value so my loss will be minimal compared to my old tech that only has personal value to me

I agree with Alli at 48 I can afford to buy what I want. It is sad that some my age or younger buy smartphones and still use them as flip phones and are satisfied as long as they work but that number is smaller than you might think


Sent from my iPhone 5

I know so many people who just have smartphones just to have them yet they don't use apps or even text...

 

[Eileen89]

I agree with others in this thread who said age has nothing to do with it.

 

[aera]

For every person in the "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" crowd there is a person that is just becoming of age to get their own plan, or a child who's parents think they are old enough to upgrade them to the smart phone world. I dont think the people choosing not to upgrade are hurting anything. And age also has nothing to do with it. I know plenty of people my age (mid-late 20's) that are still carrying older iPhone models when they have upgrades sitting around. I am an upgrade every year person myself. And those same people I know that don't upgrade always have the same response "so whats different about the new one" or "looks just like mine" (before the 5 of course).

Younger people having iPhones doesn't make them tech savvy, it just makes them a consumer.

 

[pr1nce]

I used to hear people say this all the time. As I get older its true. Age is just a number.

 

[Trees]

For consideration, there are likely many iOS users and in this general case per this threads topic who have played some small direct or indirect role in making tech what it is today. Remember, tech has been around for awhile, but its continually evolving. Perhaps hard to realize this if you haven't been around it for long.

I'm close to being eligible for AARP membership. I'll propose that many who fall into this general category do and will want to upgrade or have the latest and greatest. Ill be updating my 4S soon. There is nothing wrong, however, when someone wants to get the most out of their tech investments. So, as others have well stated, some of this phenomenon may be generational, just good money management, or wise adaption and persistence with what works well for them.

 

[cardfan]

I used to hear people say this all the time. As I get older its true. Age is just a number.

I was feeling a bit old at 40. But here my wife and I are 43 and we're having a surprise second kid due Feb.

In terms of age having to do anything with lack of iphone sales? Umm no. If anything, it's that smartphones are getting better and better and lasting longer. Carriers have gotten tighter with upgrades although there's a movement to actually cater to frequent upgraders with the close to ripoff Next, Jump, or whatever you call them plans.

If the iphone 5C is accurate, increased sales won't be a problem. Although it remains to be seen what that does to their gross profit. Apple knows it's a mobile company for the most part now.

It'll be interesting to see what Apple's product mix for phones will be in the future. I'm thinking iphone 5S, 5C this year. And iphone 6X (your 5" iphone), 6, and 6C next year. I think the rumor that iphone 5 will be discontinued is a good one. It costs a lot to make and just won't have enough differentiation vs the 5S.

 

[ninjamattic]

I'm 28, and not only love technology, but work in it. I've tried every platform, and often buy new devices on each when they come out just to try them. At the end of the day I always come back to iPhone. I like having the latest one, and AT&T's NEXT program will be helping me out with that, but I'm finding with each iPhone iteration, I'm getting more and more content to just wait until it dies, or a new feature comes out that I can't get on my current model. Not sure how the stigma that only people who can't handle complicated devices use iOS, but a lot of the people I know in high tech use them, so seems kinda silly to me. Most of the android users I know use android because they hate Apple. The brand wars will always be.

 

[sting7k]

I know so many people who just have smartphones just to have them yet they don't use apps or even text...

These people freak me out more so than those who cling to a phone for 5 years.

 

[bloodspun]

I am almost 16 and am getting my very first smartphone on Monday afternoon -- not everyone is going to be cut and dry. I know everything about the phone I'm getting, and what I want to use it for, and I don't want the latest and greatest tech, personally. I just want a phone that can run a few apps, call people, and text. My old phone had died after 4+ years of being in use, and my iPod Touch 4th gen is still running perfectly. I'm happy with the choice I'e made, and will probably keep and use this phone for at least three years, since I tend to keep things in mint condition for long periods of time, if I don't drop them first.

But I don't think the mindset of age is useful, since older members have disposable income, and are probably better read-up than lot of 20-somethings, because the 20-somethings probably just need a phone for work -- any old phone will do, as long as it gets the specific job done.

 

[neurodave]

I have to say that it has a bit to do with your age, your way of thinking, your perspective on money (and how to spend it) and just a bit on maturity.

I am very budget conscious, but when it comes to Apple, it all goes out the window when I hear something new is coming out. But if I go to the mall to "shop" I double think myself on just about anything and everything. I like to pinch my pennies whenever I can, and save for not only the now, but tomorrow, but Apple says jump and I generally ask how high....sort of speak, Lol.

With that in mind, I am almost certain an iPhone 4/4s could do what I want with no problems, and keep me more than happy. But what do I own? an iPhone 5s. When did I get it? Launch day at 9AM.

So it is not only the "aging" iPhone user that "hurt" sales, it's really based on your mentality. I know young people my age who will ride out a phone until it implodes.