A recent Piper Jaffray study of the teenage tech market has revealed that 37% of 4,500 high schoolers were looking at buying an iPhone in the next six months, while 17% already had one. That data mostly reflects the same data from their last survey, but the more surprising information is that a full 22% already had a tablet computer, with another 20% planning to get one in the next six months. The survey also showed that a full 53% are using their phones to play music, which is a relieving trend; every time I see someone with a full-blown, music-capable smartphone in one hand and an iPod in the other, it feels like an intervention needs to take place.
The iPhone likely finds a home among teens for its extensive marketing efforts, brand power, and simplicity of use. Android is still a bit too techy for your average high school student, and though BlackBerry has certainly found a niche among heavy texters who have latched onto BBM, it’s still not as fun to use as an iPhone. I’m curious to see if any of the upcoming Android, BlackBerry, or webOS tablets manage to capture the interest of the teenage segment at all, or if the iPad will remain entrenched there for the foreseeable future.
The data is good news for Apple one way or the other, since they’re pretty much have a monopoly on the tablet business for now. It also means they’re hooking ’em while they’re young, which is likely to set a precedent for lifelong cellphone purchasing decisions. I’d be curious to see some stats for other mobile manufacturers, but I doubt they’d be quite as impressive. What do you guys think – what’s the next most popular phone in high schools after from iPhone?
[via AppleInsider]