34% of U.S. High Schoolers are on iPhones
Ever wish you had owned one of the fanciest smartphones available when you were a mere teenager? That dream is actually a reality for a huge chunk of American high schoolers.
As reported by MacRumors and other sources, about one-third of U.S. high school students own an iPhone. The news, courtesy of Gene Munster – a Piper Jaffray analyst, surveyed 6,600 high schoolers and found that 34% of them own iPhones. Before you say “well of course they do, and the other 66% are on Androids,” note that only around 17% of high schoolers owned iPhones just one year ago.
The news just keeps getting better and better for Apple, as Munster also discovered that approximately 40% of the students he polled are planning to purchase an iPhone sometime in the next six months, regardless of whether they currently own one now or not.
Where are High Schoolers Getting All This Money?!
They’re not. In fact, Piper Jaffrey’s analysis makes a lot more sense (and makes older individuals a lot less envious) when you consider that the survey accounted for all iPhone models, not just the current 4S iteration. Munster believes that the surge in iPhone ownership among America’s teens is a direct result of the iPhone 3GS dropping to just $49 in January of 2011, and dropping again to zero dollars (with a new contract or contract renewal, of course) with the release of the iPhone 4S.
Still, it shows that Apple is doing something very right from a marketing perspective when you consider that significantly newer, more feature-filled smartphones than the aging 3GS are available for similar prices with a new contract.
Mobile Users are Getting Younger
Munster’s analysis also revealed that roughly 34% of high schoolers own tablet devices. Most of these students (70%) opted for the iPad, while 11% chose the Kindle Fire and 19% chose another Android tablet. Just under 20% of the students surveyed said they plan to purchase a tablet in six months or less.
What this means for SEOs is that mobile device users are getting younger. As the prices on both capable smartphones and tablets continue to fall, more teens and pre-teens will purchase them and become potential members of your target audience.
And just wait until Apple releases its rumored 7-inch tablet, which could compete directly with the Kindle Fire given appropriate pricing. If you’re not marketing your mobile-ready site to younger age groups, you’re obviously missing a large piece of the SEO pie.
