Regular readers will know that we endeavor to bring you all the latest developments, rumors and speculation regarding the Apple iPhone 5 and the closer to a release the more we are hearing. Today though we want to take a look at some interesting news that shows that the iPhone 5 is already ‘sold’ to many people before it’s even made official, in theory at least.
We all know that such is the iconic image of the Apple iPhone and its huge loyal user base already, that any new iPhone will always sell in huge numbers almost regardless of what it offers. However the strength of that brand-loyalty is higher than we had estimated according to recent figures, as a new poll shows that 71% of iOS users are “highly likely” to stick with the platform. Presuming that many of those use an iPhone, that equates to huge amounts of units sold even while it’s still an inkling in Apple engineers’ eyes and even if only some of those choose to upgrade to the iPhone 5. Take into account that 21% said they would never leave the iOS platform and the numbers become even more significant.
A survey conducted by Goldman Sachs revealing these figures has come to our attention from Apple Insider and although it took part with 1000 iOS users generally, rather than just iPhone users, it seems likely that the figures would be generally reflected if they just pertained to the iPhone. This amount of brand loyalty is pretty staggering and in an investors note on Friday, Bill Shope of Goldman Sachs estimated that the total collective iOS customer value works out at almost $295 billion. That means that the average iOS customer is worth $1053 to Apple and that’s “without any consideration for the content, services or peripherals streams, or for the platform’s growth potential,” based on Apple’s current user base.
The survey conducted by Goldman Sachs considered the costs to customers of changing platforms and 21% said they would never leave Apple regardless of any amount of discount offered. Of the customers who were unsure and said they would consider leaving, over half said that the discount would have to be worth 30% or greater to get them to jump ship. The poll results showed that 71% of respondents said they were “highly likely” to stick with Apple for their next smartphone or tablet while 23% said they were “likely” to remain an iOS user. Only 1% of respondents said they were “unlikely” to remain with Apple.
Some of you may be aware that yesterday marked the fifth birthday of the release of the first iPhone and an infographic on Mashable about the success of the iPhone also has some fascinating statistics. As of March 2012 Apple has sold 218 million iPhones in total, creating revenue of $140 billion. In the last quarter, sales of the iPhone made up 58% of Apple’s total revenue, illustrating the importance of this device to Apple.
It seems that for now at least, unless Apple completely loses the plot, the ongoing success of the iPhone seems virtually guaranteed. To recap our main point, in theory the iPhone 5 has already ‘sold’ in huge numbers to many people simply because of customer loyalty to the Apple brand. Just how many millions of iPhone 5’s will be sold on its release is of course not yet known but it will certainly be interesting to find out at a later date how many iPhone 5 buyers previously owned an iPhone.
We’d like to hear your thoughts on this. Have you already ‘purchased’ the next iPhone 5 in theory, simply because you are an established iPhone user and wouldn’t consider changing? Maybe you’re new to the iOS platform and considering buying an iPhone for the first time and are impressed with the depth of customer loyalty towards Apple? Of course you could also be one of those who simply doesn’t understand why Apple users are so faithful? Let us know by sending your comments.