Apple Customers Have Been Waiting for New iPads

We’ve long thought Apple needs to update the iPad lineup. That day finally arrived. Last week Apple announced the long-awaited new iPad models. As it turns out, our analysis of Apple iPad buyers suggests that current iPad owners have been waiting, too.

Buyers of new iPads in the past three years have waited progressively longer to replace their old iPads. We ask new iPad buyers who are upgrading from another iPad how long they had their previous iPad. Since 2022, the age of that previous iPad has increased steadily. In the most recent 12-month period, almost two-thirds of new iPad buyers that already owned an iPad had that prior tablet for two years or more (Chart 1). That is up from 2022 when about half of those buyers had their old iPad for two years or more.