Apple has expressed the hope that Apple Intelligence will speed up the iPhone -upgrade cycle. A new report suggests that the AI software can achieve this goal, at least a little bit.
According to the latest Apple report from CIRP, consumers exchange in their iPhones for newer models faster. This is encouraging news for Apple, because customers have saved their phones longer periods in recent years.
In the most recent quarter, a higher percentage of iPhone buyers was upgraded from “younger” telephones than in the previous quarters. Specifically, by the end of 2024, 36% of the iPhone buyers reported their previous phones for two years or less, an increase of 31% a year earlier.
How do we know that this positive trend can be attributed to the introduction of Apple Intelligence with the iPhone 16 series? We can’t. However, it is probably a contributing factor, especially since Apple advertisements have characterized the new software prominently in the past eight months.
It is still too early to draw definitive conclusions. Moreover, surveys such as those of CIRP do not rely on actual iPhone sales figures, which have not been particularly strong for Apple in the past quarters.
In the quarter of December, for example, the iPhone turnover of Apple was reported at $ 69.1 billion, slightly decrease of $ 69.7 billion in the same period a year earlier.
Different signs suggest a positive trend. Firstly, the quarter of December marked the first time that the entire line -up of the iPhone 16 was for sale after the launch at the end of September. Secondly, Apple Intelligence is not fully released, even though it is being promoted. Instead, the functions are gradually introduced via software updates, with more expected in the coming months. As such, buyers can wait until all parts are released before they are released.
Moreover, it should be noted that Samsung saw an improvement in his telephone sales for the first time since 2018. This increase is mainly attributed to the new AI offer from the telephone, which started to roll out months before Apple, which suggests -Inspired uptick is only delayed.
Another reason for optimism that is not related to Apple Intelligence is the expected release of the iPhone 17 Air this fall, which will be the thinnest iPhone so far. In the coming years, Apple is expected to launch thinner iPhones, including folding models. This new hardware should contribute to an overall increase in iPhone sales in the long term.
