Piper Sandler just released a new version of its biannual Taking Stock With Teens study, which analyzes teenagers’ preferences for various products. The study looks at spending habits for this key segment of the market, as well as trends from one year to the next.
The April 2024 edition of the study confirms what we already knew: teens overwhelmingly prefer the iPhone over Android. It’s not really a contest, with 85% of respondents owning an iPhone. Furthermore, 86% of those interviewed said they want and iPhone as their next phone.
The figures are in line with the firm’s October 2023 findings. Back then, 87% of the respondents said they were iPhone users, and 88% of the participants in the study said they wanted an iPhone after upgrading from their current smartphones.
The findings aren’t surprising. Things can’t change overnight, and there hasn’t been any groundbreaking development on Android to influence the minds of young smartphone users in such a short period.
Generative AI products like ChatGPT and Gemini are slowly becoming the new norm for computing. Phones like the Galaxy S24 and Pixel 8 already have built-in AI features. The iPhone is the next to get built-in genAI features via the iOS 18.
That’s to say there aren’t any big changes on Android to sway more teens to Google’s operating system. And given the current landscape, it seems unlikely that either Android or iOS will change very much anytime soon.
Here’s how Piper Sandler described their iPhone vs. Android findings, per MacRumors:
Both the 85% iPhone ownership and 86% intention to purchase an iPhone metrics are near record highs for our survey but down from record levels in 2021. We believe the elevated penetration and purchase intention are important given the mature premium smartphone market. Additionally, trends towards premium tier phones are encouraging as the company continues to introduce new iPhones proving the overall stickiness of the product portfolio. Finally, positive trends in services could follow, as the install base for Apple hardware continues to grow.
The survey also found that 34% of teens use an Apple Watch, which is in line with the October study once again. But intent to buy an Apple Watch rose by 3%, with 13% of teens looking to get one. The Apple Watch is another big win for Apple, though only 39.7% of respondents own a smartwatch.
Apple Music and Apple TV+ aren’t as popular for Apple, with Spotify and Netflix being the top streaming platforms of choice for teenagers. Nearly two-thirds of teens prefer Spotify, and over 30% watch Netflix daily. Apple Music has a 30% share in this group, while Apple TV+ is below 5%.
Over 6,000 teens from 47 states answered the study’s questions, with the average age being 16.1. The average household income was $66,280, and 38% of teens said they were employed part-time.