Owners of iPhone devices apparently would rather buy Apple’s wireless headphones than go purchase the company’s smartwatch offering, at least according to a recent survey. Indeed, in conducting a poll in the United States, the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research found that 12 percent of those surveyed have plans to get Apple’s wireless AirPods, which cost $159. Taking this percentage into account, this could easily translate to up to $3 billion in sales for the iPhone maker, that is if these respondents make their plans come true.
Based on the results of Bank of America’s survey, it turns out that the most common reason respondents (56 percent) are declining the opportunity to purchase AirPods is simply because their existing headphones still need no replacing. The second most common reason is the high cost of Apple’s earphones, with 40 percent of respondents thinking the Pods are just too pricey to buy. Only 11 percent expressed worries about them being able to keep a connection.
Some believe that the release of the AirPods (together with the launch of the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus flagship devices) was Apple’s way of preparing its users for more all-wireless stuff to come. Sure, the company already offers wireless headphones by way of its Beats brand (which also work with the latest iPhone models), but the AirPods mark the first time that the tech giant is offering Bluetooth headphones.
As for the Apple Watch, it appears that many of the respondents are not looking to make a purchase of the wearable device. As a matter of fact, Bank of America’s survey shows that only 8 percent of those surveyed own the first generation model (now referred to as the Apple Watch Series 1) and 8 percent with plans to buy the Apple Watch Series 2. Among those buyers of the new generation Apple Watch, 70 percent of them are buying new units (as opposed to just upgrading), which indicates that there really is some growth.
Of course, the immediate question is: why were users not as enthusiastic in getting the Apple Watch Series 2? As expected, price plays a huge part in users’ buying patterns, with 43 percent of respondents saying that they found the Apple Watch Series 2’s price too high (the wearable device comes with a starting price of $369). Then are those who just do not see any point in owning a smartwatch (33 percent of the respondents).
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https://www.wirefly.com/blog/news/iphone-users-looking-buy-airpods-more-apple-watch-survey