Only A Small Percentage Of Previous iPhone Owners Upgraded This Year

It doesn’t look like adding a fingerprint scanner and new color choices were enough to persuade most iPhone owners to upgrade. A new survey shows that just 6 percent of iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c buyers upgraded from the iPhone 5. This compared to 12 percent of iPhone 4s owners who upgraded to the iPhone 5 over the same period last year. According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), almost two-thirds of iPhone 5s/5c buyers upgraded from a previous model. In 2012, 55 percent of iPhone 5 buyers had previously owned one of Apple’s phones. According to CIRP partner and cofounder Mike Levin:

Ideally, Apple attracts a significant percent of its customers from Android and other systems. At the most recent launch, though, Apple saw an increase in the share of customers that already had an iPhone. Perhaps because of the declining base of non-smartphone owners, a smaller percentage of iPhone buyers upgraded from a basic or flip phone, compared to the year-ago launch.

We probably won’t know what this decrease means for at least a year. It could be that interest in the iPhone has begun to wane, thanks to Android-based smartphones, and those from Samsung, in particular. More likely, consumers are sitting this year out, in anticipation of the 2014 launch of the “iPhone 6.” That handset will almost certainly include a new design, and perhaps a larger display. Finally, the decrease could be attributed to continued iPhone 5s supply constraints. People can’t upgrade if they can’t find the model they wish to buy. CIRP based its findings on its survey of 400 phone customers who activated an iPhone in the United States between Sept. 20, 2013 and Oct. 20, 2013. As usual, stay tuned. See also: Boost Mobile Is Now Offering Huge Discounts On Apple's iPhone 5s And iPhone 5c, Apple Stores Set To Offer iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c Screen Repairs And More, and Apple To Manufacture Its Sapphire Glass For Touch ID In The United States.

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