A new study claims that Apple’s next-gen iPhone 7 is able to attract existing customers but not new ones in the US.
Apple announced its new iPhones at an event in California on Sept 7
Painting a grim picture of iPhone 7’s success among consumers in the US, ReportLinker said the new models may not drive sales as much as Apple expects. A study conducted by the market report search engine showed 67% of US respondents were less likely to purchase the latest flagship device.
Apparently, the new iPhones are attracting a lot more customers who already own an iPhone than new ones. The study reveals that some 85% of other smartphone owners are not likely to purchase the new iPhone. Only 44% of current iPhone owners may upgrade to the new models.
Most US respondents change smartphones when they are broken or lost (31%), the study notes. “Battery life is another good reason for 21% of them to buy a new smartphone,” it adds. “Storage space is a problem for 14% of them. However, upgrading to a newer iPhone still motivates a few customers to switch to the iPhone 7 (28%).”
Apple released the next generation of the iPhone at its annual September event in San Francisco. Though there were no major overhauls on the design, Apple surprised the tech world with its decision to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The same day, Apple also unveiled the latest standalone product called AirPods, a set of completely wireless headphones.
According to ReportLinker, even the AirPods fail to gain acceptance among US consumers. “A majority of US respondents (71%) are totally reluctant to purchase the AirPods,” the study revealed.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be available in more than 25 countries beginning Friday, September 16.
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