Teens 'tepid' on Apple Watch as iPhone and iPad steal Android marketshare

Posted:
in General Discussion edited November 2014
According to a recent survey conducted by Piper Jaffray, U.S. teens show steadily increasing demand for iPhone and iPad, but are ho-hum on the prospect of Apple's upcoming Apple Watch.



The investment firm's Fall 2014 Teen Survey shows Apple is still a hot brand for America's youth, but the company's first foray into the smartwatch market is not generating the hype enjoyed by other portable products like the iPhone and iPad.

As noted by analyst Gene Munster, 16 percent of a sampling of about 7,200 teens said they were interested in "buying an iWatch for $350" when it debuts sometime next year, down from 17 percent in spring. The Apple Watch was subsequently announced in early September with a starting price of $349. Only 7 percent of teens owned a smartwatch at the time the survey was taken, up one percent from spring.

"We believe that despite the timing of the survey, speculation has ramped significantly around an Apple Watch since the Spring and we would have expected to see at least a small uptick in interest from teens in the watch," Munster writes.

The analyst is sticking to a previous sales estimate of 10 million combined Apple Watch units for the 2015 calendar year.

As for the iPhone, Munster's fall survey showed 67 percent of teens owned Apple's handset, up from 61 percent in spring, and 73 percent said they expect to buy one as their next smartphone. Further, iPhone appears to be stealing marketshare from Android, which dropped five points over the same period.

Finally, the iPad also showed consistent demand over the past few months, with 66 percent of tablet-owning teens saying they owned Apple's tablet, identical to the spring survey. Of teens expecting to buy a tablet in the next six months, 60 percent are looking at an iPad Air or iPad mini.

Interestingly, Microsoft's Surface -- included for the first time in Piper Jaffray's survey-- took 10 percent of the market, with 19 percent of prospective tablet buyers expecting to pick up the hybrid device within the next six months. Munster guesses that enhanced productivity features may be driving interest in Microsoft's tablet.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 284
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member

    DOOMED!

     

    I'm pretty sure I read the same reports about "tepid" demand for the 1st iPad, right before it went on sale. 

  • Reply 2 of 284
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member

    Is this surprising? Teens constantly have their phone to hand. The ?Watch is not well understood yet.

  • Reply 3 of 284
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post

     

    DOOMED!

     

    I'm pretty sure I read the same reports about "tepid" demand for the 1st iPad, right before it went on sale. 




    Let alone that teens aren't the target market.   I'm sure that iPhone 6+ is not getting a high Q score among 2nd graders.  Are we reading about that?

     

    Give them about 10 years to mature and think about fashion and their mortality.   And a high paying job.

  • Reply 4 of 284
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 3,949member
    I was among the first to buy the first iPhone. I held it up before the community college class I was teaching and asked how many of them planned to get one. One hand in a class of thirty-two went up. Within two years most students in my classes had them.
  • Reply 5 of 284
    Could it be because teens don't regularly spend $350 on a watch? Most ADULTS I know don't spend that kind of money on a watch.

    Im sure it will sell phenomenally well regardless of this data.
  • Reply 6 of 284
    Not surprising that teens are "tepid" to the Apple Watch. Most have no need to wear a watch (especially one $350+) as their iPhones & iPads & iPods are always within arm's reach with the time, as well as the fact that they are much more functional.

    Now if the Apple Watch was like the Todd Hamilton concept/mockup, then the watch/band would have much more functionality and would entice the under-25 crowd to start wearing the device:

    http://toddham.com/blog/iwatch-concept/

    I believe Apple Watch 3.0 may head down that road. But version 1.0? Umm... not so much.
  • Reply 7 of 284
    bluefire1bluefire1 Posts: 1,301member

    As someone who has owned and continues to own virtually every Apple product over the years, the iWatch is the first new device that hasn't given me a ""got to have it now" feeling.  The AppleInsider article may well be painting an accurate picture of the iWatch's upcoming sales, or lack of them.

    We'll find out soon enough. 

  • Reply 8 of 284

    Let alone that teens aren't the target market.   I'm sure that iPhone 6+ is not getting a high Q score among 2nd graders.  Are we reading about that?

    Give them about 10 years to mature and think about fashion and their mortality.   And a high paying job.

    Actually, a recent brand survey put the iPad as the top brand for kids. Above other brands like Disney. Samdung and Amazon didnt even make the top 25.

    iPod, iPhone, and Apple all made the top 25 as well.


    That being said, Apple hasn't even shown all the product can do. Give it time.
  • Reply 9 of 284

    It's too easy to say, "I told you so," but:

     

    I told you so.

  • Reply 10 of 284
    ibeamibeam Posts: 322member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by IQatEdo View Post

     

    The ?Watch is not well understood yet.


    I certainly don't understand it. It looks just awful in that side view. I don't care if it is made out of gold, silver, stainless steel or diamond encrusted platinum, it is just ugly... but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

  • Reply 11 of 284
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member

    Of course teens are tepid... one has to have money to buy the watch.  Why is this even being discussed?

  • Reply 12 of 284
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post

     

    DOOMED!

     

    I'm pretty sure I read the same reports about "tepid" demand for the 1st iPad, right before it went on sale. 


     

     

    You were mistaken.

  • Reply 13 of 284
    bregaladbregalad Posts: 816member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by warren602 View Post



    Could it be because teens don't regularly spend $350 on a watch? Most ADULTS I know don't spend that kind of money on a watch.



    Im sure it will sell phenomenally well regardless of this data.



    And $350 is for the entry level sport model.

    Rumours say that Apple Watch will cost $1000 and may not even include a strap. You might have to fork over hundreds more to wear the Apple Watch. The gold Edition watches are virtually guaranteed to cost several thousand dollars without a strap.

     

    If you aren't in the market for a Rolex, you're probably not in the market for an Apple Watch.

  • Reply 14 of 284

    With the emphasis on fashion and fitness, I'm not surprised teens aren't interested.  Plus its large and bulky looking.  Am I the only one who was hoping Apple would have unveiled something similar to the "band" style watch like the mockups that were posted all over the web?

  • Reply 15 of 284
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ibeam View Post

     
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by IQatEdo View Post

     

    The ?Watch is not well understood yet.


    I certainly don't understand it. It looks just awful in that side view. I don't care if it is made out of gold, silver, stainless steel or diamond encrusted platinum, it is just ugly... but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 


     

     

    Yes, I noticed that, too. I think their square-on photos don't do it justice at all; all they do is emphasise how thick it is. Nor do you get a good idea of what the straps are really like from a side-on picture. They should show more angled shots.

     

    It's all in vain, anyway, of course.

  • Reply 16 of 284
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post

     

    DOOMED!

     

    I'm pretty sure I read the same reports about "tepid" demand for the 1st iPad, right before it went on sale. 




    Who's gonna want an enlarged iPod Touch? :)

  • Reply 17 of 284
    Starting at 349. What's the top end going to go for? That's what scares me.
  • Reply 18 of 284
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ibeam View Post

     

    I certainly don't understand it. It looks just awful in that side view. I don't care if it is made out of gold, silver, stainless steel or diamond encrusted platinum, it is just ugly... but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 


    It looks like "Art" in the side view. Of course you are right beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. :)

  • Reply 19 of 284
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by matrix07 View Post

     
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ibeam View Post

     

    I certainly don't understand it. It looks just awful in that side view. I don't care if it is made out of gold, silver, stainless steel or diamond encrusted platinum, it is just ugly... but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 


    It looks like "Art" in the side view. Of course you are right beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. :)


     

     

    Even if the beholder is sorely deluded. ????

  • Reply 20 of 284
    pazuzupazuzu Posts: 1,728member
    Watches are old world accessories. Teens aren't stupid.
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