90% iPhone Owners Polled Won't Upgrade Without A Redesign

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This should be fairly obvious but, then again, this is Apple we are talking about, so who knows what they are going to do. The company's normal modus operandi is launching an iPhone, letting people buy it and then hose early adopters with a hardware "S" upgrade 6 months later. But even that has changed recently when the company skipped backwards over the iPhone 6 to launch the iPhone SE. Next thing you know, the iPhone 7 will looks like a larger iPhone 3G. :p

Quartz recently polled 525 US iPhone owners using SurveyMonkey Audience (methodology details are below)—and discovered that many likely wouldn’t upgrade to a new phone this year if Apple doesn’t release a redesigned iPhone. Under the current upgrade cycle, the average customer is upgrading their phone every two years, which means in a six-year period, they buy three new phones. If they switched to upgrading every three years, they would only buy two new phones in that same period. That could badly hurt Apple’s earnings.
 
Lies, they will all upgrade..

This. Everyone I know that was an iOS person "hated" the iPhone 6 design and guess who all owns newer iPhones now? But of hypocrites if you ask me!

I enjoyed the iPhone SE though, very odd choice for Apple but people just loved the design and size of it so that was cool of them to do that.

Regardless, like it's been said, people will buy iPhones regardless. It's my opinion that phones are getting stale anyways. My BlackBerry Passport is a breath of fresh air for me! Every other phone is just the same old black slab.

Hell, even the Note 7 based on what I've seen hardly seems to be a worthy upgrade from a Note 4 let alone the 5!

I think even iPhone owners are getting bored. My cousin has a 5S and hasn't upgraded despite being able to just because it doesn't really matter. They all do the same thing in the end.
 
all it takes for me is a resolution upgrade. i'm sure the 7 will be moving up in the world. the 6s seems kinda weak compared to some of the quad hd shit on the android side.
 
I'm on a 6+ waiting for a worthwhile reason to upgrade...
 
This. Everyone I know that was an iOS person "hated" the iPhone 6 design and guess who all owns newer iPhones now? But of hypocrites if you ask me!

If the SE released before I upgraded to the 6S, I would have gotten the SE. I did not want the larger screen.
 
I may switch to Android. I have low interest in upgrading my iPhone 6 to a phone that looks exactly like an iPhone 6. And is missing a headphone jack :mad: With three years on the same design, you would think those engineering dildos could have found a way to make the phone better without removing a commonly used jack.

I think Apple outsmarted themselves on this one. Releasing the same design may work for MacBooks and iMacs, however it's already hurting them on iPads and won't help wth phone sales either.
 
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I find myself tired of upgrading phones lately. Drop $600-$800 every few years, why? Hell, I have a small selection of apps I use: GPS, Camera, banking app, couple of health apps (blood pressure, Kardia), Mail, and a calendar. I really never play games on my phone any more. New apps? Please - don't really care.
I have an iPhone 6 right now. It works great. At this point, I'm planning on keeping this until the battery dies. After that, not sure which phone I will get - could be an Android or iPhone. Any more, there really isn't a hell of a lot of difference (that I care about!)
I do like the Samsung phones - they are nice. Part of my job is playing with lots of different devices. I get to try the popular devices as I am involved with app development. Ironic - I know a lot of app developers (as I work with them). A majority of us basically hate apps :)
 
I have a 6S Plus 128GB and have been debating if I'll upgrade. None of the rumors have really been that appealing to me so far...
 
I have a 6S Plus 128GB and have been debating if I'll upgrade. None of the rumors have really been that appealing to me so far...
Have same phone and if the 256gb rumor becomes reality, that's enough for me (yes, 128 full and on my 128 iPad pro as well). I'm sure there will be some kind of camera bump which will be gravy since I use it as my work traveling camera.

I know it sounds ridiculous but with an installment plan, I don't see any reason to not get a new phone every year. I'm not keeping one longer than 2 years to avoid having a payment, so why not?

Baaaaaaaaaaa.
 
making the 6 into a 7 is a redesign so they are all set.

these polls are idiotic anyway. They interviewed a whole 500 people.
 
I'm usually down for performance increases and an improved camera. I never understood people that get bored with general form factor design. It's a phone.
 
Have same phone and if the 256gb rumor becomes reality, that's enough for me (yes, 128 full and on my 128 iPad pro as well). I'm sure there will be some kind of camera bump which will be gravy since I use it as my work traveling camera.

I know it sounds ridiculous but with an installment plan, I don't see any reason to not get a new phone every year. I'm not keeping one longer than 2 years to avoid having a payment, so why not?

Baaaaaaaaaaa.

I'm on the yearly iPhone upgrade program and I'm still debating skipping this year. So far this has been the most "boring" iPhone rumor mill yet. The usual processor upgrade, 256GB option, they removed the headphone jack and replaced it with another crappy speaker instead (I don't even think the phone is any thinner!), apparently a camera that is expected to take better low light photos, 3D Touch home button, and a space black color. How much of that is true I don't know for sure, but hopefully there is more to the phone than this or I'll happily stick to my 6S Plus that still has a headphone jack...
 
I just wait a few months and buy an Iphone used...though i really don't think I'll upgrade this year. Last year I did it, because I decided to get a 6s Plus (had the 6), but I doubt there's anything I need in the new one. I don't need 256gb (128 is fine for now, thank you).

But I can imagine people with older phones upgrading. I know one thing, I ain't upgrading to the next version of IOS until I'm sure it's not going to slow down my phone. Been there. Done that.
 
I'm usually down for performance increases and an improved camera. I never understood people that get bored with general form factor design. It's a phone.

Same here... Complaining about not having a redesign without any specific complaints seems odd to me.

IMO Phones are hitting that performance plateau where yearly upgrades aren't really noticeable anymore. Same thing happened to PCs 5 years back or so.
 
How about a SD Card slot? There's this new technology that if you stick one of these in your phone will dramatically increase storage space.
 
I'm more interested in their changes to the camera optics. That is my decision maker.
 
Upgrades are pretty much "Am I eligible for an upgrade? No? Then I don't care."
Though data plan fees keep on going up, so I might just stick it out with my current phone.

My current one (Galaxy Note 4) has two features that they're trying to kill in the new phones: an SD card slot and a replaceable battery, and I don't want to lose those, anyway.
And also a headphone jack. Why they're trying to kill this when there isn't even a real replacement yet is beyond me.
 
I'm on the yearly iPhone upgrade program and I'm still debating skipping this year. So far this has been the most "boring" iPhone rumor mill yet. The usual processor upgrade, 256GB option, they removed the headphone jack and replaced it with another crappy speaker instead (I don't even think the phone is any thinner!), apparently a camera that is expected to take better low light photos, 3D Touch home button, and a space black color. How much of that is true I don't know for sure, but hopefully there is more to the phone than this or I'll happily stick to my 6S Plus that still has a headphone jack...

I can get not being excited about a new iPhone. It's just a phone after all and some years aren't going to be a big step up. That said, doubling the storage, improved camera, and inevitable speed increase are usually the better things on the table so if that doesn't move your needle, it's probably going to be next year's model.

Though honestly, making certain assumptions I noted above, NOT upgrading on an installmemt contract is almost like not upgrading after 2 years on the old contracts. There's no point.

I'm never keeping a phone past 2 years again. It would have to be a colossal update failure for me to skip now.
 
I have an iPhone 4s. Only issue I see is the phase out of cases and charging cords.
The redesigns remind me of Madden every year.

"Hey guys! We added a new feature to this years Madden Game! Now you can adjust the color of your teams shoes! FANF*&%INGTASTIC! $60 OR YOU'RE NOT COOL ANYMORE!"
 
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I find myself tired of upgrading phones lately. Drop $600-$800 every few years, why? Hell, I have a small selection of apps I use: GPS, Camera, banking app, couple of health apps (blood pressure, Kardia), Mail, and a calendar. I really never play games on my phone any more. New apps? Please - don't really care.
I have an iPhone 6 right now. It works great. At this point, I'm planning on keeping this until the battery dies. After that, not sure which phone I will get - could be an Android or iPhone. Any more, there really isn't a hell of a lot of difference (that I care about!)
I do like the Samsung phones - they are nice. Part of my job is playing with lots of different devices. I get to try the popular devices as I am involved with app development. Ironic - I know a lot of app developers (as I work with them). A majority of us basically hate apps :)

I'll have had the same phone for 5 years once it hits November. I'm young and just don't see the purpose either. If I need compute power, I'm using my desktop or laptop on the move. Otherwise, the phone just sits on my desk or in my pocket.
 
I can get not being excited about a new iPhone. It's just a phone after all and some years aren't going to be a big step up. That said, doubling the storage, improved camera, and inevitable speed increase are usually the better things on the table so if that doesn't move your needle, it's probably going to be next year's model.

Though honestly, making certain assumptions I noted above, NOT upgrading on an installmemt contract is almost like not upgrading after 2 years on the old contracts. There's no point.

I'm never keeping a phone past 2 years again. It would have to be a colossal update failure for me to skip now.

Not exactly. The iPhone upgrade program lets you turn in your existing iPhone every year (and Apple buys back the remainder of your loan) for the next iPhone version in which you then start a new installment plan for the full price of the new phone for the next 2 years. That is unlike 2 year contracts where you get an upgrade at usually a massive discount AND get to keep the existing phone; but unfortunately many carriers are moving away from contracts now.
 
When the lines start forming at the Apple Stores, the laggards will jump right in. It's guaranteed.
 
Hell, even the Note 7 based on what I've seen hardly seems to be a worthy upgrade from a Note 4 let alone the 5!

Just the water resistant feature would be enough to get some people to upgrade. Add in the return of the SD card (as opposed to the 5) and the Note 7 is a great phone.

However, I'll be sticking with my Note 4 as long as it still works.
Just can't see spending that kind of money on a phone when my Note 4 does everything I need.
 
Not exactly. The iPhone upgrade program lets you turn in your existing iPhone every year (and Apple buys back the remainder of your loan) for the next iPhone version in which you then start a new installment plan for the full price of the new phone for the next 2 years. That is unlike 2 year contracts where you get an upgrade at usually a massive discount AND get to keep the existing phone; but unfortunately many carriers are moving away from contracts now.

Well you say "upgrade at massive discount" but that's not true, it's just deferred exp. You will absolutely pay the full price of that phone over the contract life in built in monthly fees. They aren't being nice. I could do they same thing on installment and just pay off phone and keep it at month 12 when I upgraded, then sell if I wanted to mess with that.

Contracts should die and this just puts us in line with the rest of the world. Installment plans popped up as a way to ease us into the concept of buying our phones like everyone else does.

That said, my comparison was only to illustrate the decision tree. Back then, you continued to pay the rest of the built in device fee even after 2 years so you were literally leaving money on the table by not upgrading.

With installments, my only differential is the tax and carrier upgrade fee. At that point, if you accept a monthly payment to have the newest phone, then no point in not having a new phone every year.
 
And this just confirms what we always knew about Apple buyers.

Substance does not matter to them. The only thing that matters to them is that they can have something shiny and new so everyone from a distance can see that they are clearly the coolest kid on the block because they have the newest one!

I hate living in a world where function and performance take a back seat to stupid things like fashion.
 
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And this just confirms what we always knew about Apple buyers.

Substance does not matter to them. The only thing that matters to them is that they can have something shiny and new they so everyone from a distance can see that they are clearly the coolest kid on the block because they have the newest one!

I hate living in a world where function and performance take a back seat to stupid things like fashion.

BAAAAAAAAAAA!!
 
Not exactly. The iPhone upgrade program lets you turn in your existing iPhone every year (and Apple buys back the remainder of your loan) for the next iPhone version in which you then start a new installment plan for the full price of the new phone for the next 2 years. That is unlike 2 year contracts where you get an upgrade at usually a massive discount AND get to keep the existing phone; but unfortunately many carriers are moving away from contracts now.

In Canada, 2 year contracts are the norm and iPhone owners just upgrade to whatever the newest model is when their contract is up. If they can't afford the subsidized price of the latest model, they just get the older model for nothing. The biggest change I have noticed is that nobody brags about what phone they just bought anymore. Phones are now a commodity and aren't exciting anymore.
 
How about a SD Card slot? There's this new technology that if you stick one of these in your phone will dramatically increase storage space.
I think you can now access storage with an adapter that uses the lightning port. I generally like having SD, but I can also say that I rarely used it when I was on android. But I think an easy way to move stuff on/off the device without using itunes would be nice.
 
How about a SD Card slot? There's this new technology that if you stick one of these in your phone will dramatically increase storage space.


They can't do that, because people will pay hundreds of dollars for extra internal storage, but multi-GB SD cards sell for less than 10 bucks.

They'd lose a ton of money if they added an additional card slot.
 
Upgrades are pretty much "Am I eligible for an upgrade? No? Then I don't care."
Though data plan fees keep on going up, so I might just stick it out with my current phone.

My current one (Galaxy Note 4) has two features that they're trying to kill in the new phones: an SD card slot and a replaceable battery, and I don't want to lose those, anyway.
And also a headphone jack. Why they're trying to kill this when there isn't even a real replacement yet is beyond me.
If you're on a contract that subsidizes the phone, that makes sense. infact in that case, it makes sense to upgrade as soon as you can. But with most newer plans charging you 20/month for the phone (which generally means you pay more than the old system), it makes sense to hold onto your paid off phone for longer.

I didn't upgrade much before the iPhone, because I'm on Sero and I liked by $30.00 plan. Plus working at a phone company means I got a phone from work, so my HTC touch was adequate for calls/texts, but when it died, I decided I might as well pay 50 and get the latest tech.
 
Another good thing about SD card is that you can back-up phone memory data to that if you don't trust cloud.
 
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