Holiday iPhones, iPads, and Macs? Maybe Watches

Thinking of gifting an Apple device or accessory to a friend or loved one for the holidays? If so, you’re in a pretty small minority.

As with most other consumer products companies, Apple does lean into holiday shopping to boost its results. Based on CIRP data, it seems that holiday gift shopping does not involve iPhones or even Mac computers, but may bump iPads and Apple Watches a bit.

We ask new iPhone, iPad, Mac computer, and Apple Watch customers where they bought their new device or whether they received it as a gift. Overall, a relatively small percentage of Apple customers receive any of these as a gift, typically under 3% in any given quarter.

In the October-December quarter, we see an increase in gift recipients for iPads and Apple Watches. In the December 2023 quarter, 6% of iPad owners and 9% of Apple Watch owners received their product as a gift, a significant increase over the rest of the year for both (Chart 1). Almost no iPhones nor Macs are reported received as gifts in the holiday quarter or the rest of the year.

Chart 1: Subjects receiving product as gift (2023)

iPhones are an unlikely gift, as the phone is just the beginning before someone (presumably the recipient) becomes responsible for ongoing mobile carrier charges. So, giving an iPhone as a gift is kind of like giving someone a puppy. Mac computers are also rarely gifted. They are both expensive and personal, often needing to meet specific needs.

By comparison, iPads and Apple Watches are relatively easy gifts. Both are more “nice to have” than “must have”, and non-necessities make good gifts. They are one-time purchases that do not require additional investment (other than already owning an iPhone for an Apple Watch), and they have a lasting impact. 

So, while there are not a lot of iPad or Apple Watch gifts during the rest of the year, there are some Apple boxes under the tree.