Teenage iPhone market on the rise

Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has the uncanny ability to resist economic downturns surprisingly well, and the latest survey from Piper Jaffray proves that even the teenage demographic is following that trend. In the face of dour economic conditions, teenage iPhone marketshare is on the rise. The “Taking Stock with Teens” survey shows that eight percent of teens are already carrying an iPhone, with 16% of teens looking forward to purchasing an iPhone in the next six months.

The latest numbers show that Apple’s push to penetrate the teen market with the iPhone is working to increase the iPhone’s reach in the grade-school demographic (as well as the pre-teen demo). As of April 2008, Piper Jaffray’s survey showed that only six percent of teenagers had already put an iPhone in their pockets, with nine percent planning to snatch up an iPhone in the next six months. The survey was comprised of 600 face-to-face interviews and 7,500 online interviews with students in the US.

The study also revealed that teen-spending is down. “The decrease in spending leads us to believe that the economy is forcing parents and teens to cut back on spending across the board,” said analyst Jeff Klinefelter. Still, it seems that Apple and the iPhone are resistant to any spending cut-backs that might affect other consumables.

With the next-generation iPhone expected to launch alongside the new iPhone OS 3.0 this Summer, it makes sense that a solid 16% of teens are planning to pick up an iPhone within half a year. It should be interesting to see how the upcoming iPhone launch affects teenage iPhone marketshare going forward.

[Via: ArsTechnica]