Maybe Younger Customers Aren’t Addicted to Their Gadgets…

Conventional wisdom has it that younger people can’t part with their smartphones and other electronics. Based on CIRP analysis of Apple customers, we’re not so sure this represents reality.

Last week, we analyzed the urgency with which Apple customers would repair or replace a lost, stolen, or broken device. As we mentioned then, we ask this question about each device for anyone who bought one or all of an iPhone, iPad, or Mac in the survey period. Overall, customers would replace an iPhone very quickly, and an iPad or Mac computer almost as quickly. Almost 80% would replace an iPhone either immediately (same day) or within a day or two. About 60% of those owners would repair or replace either an iPad or Mac on the same day or within a day or two.

We looked at how these sentiments vary by age of customer. As it turns out, the youngest customers in the sample have lower urgency to replace a device. That may be a reflection of the importance of the device in their daily life, their financial ability to repair or replace their current device, or some combination of the two. 

Only about 60% of customers in the 18-24 years old range reported that they would replace a device immediately or within a day or two (Chart 1). The urgency to replace a device increases steadily, so almost 90% of customers in the 45 years old or greater cohort would replace a device immediately or within a day or two, and the rate goes up from there. Again, this may be related to financial means as much as commitment to usage and ownership.