Apple seems to have conquered the hearts of young Americans, who prefer the iPhone to Android smartphones, to the point of becoming a social selection criterion. A discriminating marker that does Apple business well…
Ever since smartphones appeared on the market in the second half of the 2000s, two “clans” have clashed. On one side, Apple and its inimitable iPhone. On the other, Android, Google’s mobile operating system, adopted by virtually all other manufacturers. And if there are indeed some bridges between these two worlds, the border remains quite marked, and not only on the technical level. Thus, many consider it difficult to switch from one environment to another, both for hardware issues – Apple has always favored its solutions and interfaces such as the famous Lightning – and usage habits.
Over the years, Apple has managed to create a compartmentalized ecosystem with all its products – iPhone, AirPods, MacBook, iPad, AirTag – and its services – Apple TV, Apple Music… – to the point that some authorities accuse the business of anti-competitive practices. And it is not the latest studies that will prove the opposite! Indeed, since its launch, the iPhone has become a true social marker, the sign of a certain financial ease and of belonging to a group. But, as reported by FinancialTimes, Apple has managed to appeal particularly to Generation Z – users born between 1997 and 2010 – in the United States, so much so that young people fear being excluded from social groups if they do not wear an iPhone. A trend that also allows Apple to gain market share in several product categories over the long term.
iPhone: the social pressure of Generation Z
The least we can say is that the iPhone is selling very well, especially in the United States where Apple has no less than 50% of the smartphone market share in 2022, compared to 35% in 2019. And among its buyers, 34% of them were born after 1996, compared to 10% for Samsung phones – the study does not give figures for Xiaomi, the other juggernaut in the sector. In contrast, for older generations of Americans, the split between Android smartphone and iPhone owners remains relatively even. Apple therefore enjoys a considerable advantage in this field, especially since the famous generation Z is the most connected of all age groups – they spend up to six hours a day on their smartphone – and that, a Once accustomed to an ecosystem, it is difficult to shake up one’s habits and change them, which ensures a certain durability of the brand.
But the loyalty of young users to Apple goes even further since, according to researchers, it influences and shapes the social circles of young Americans, including for love selection criteria! This is particularly visible with iMessage, Apple’s own messaging system which offers very interesting functions such as data encryption and the possibility of sending images, emojis, photos and videos directly in the conversation. However, when an Android user chats with iPhone users, all the messages exchanged pass in SMS format, which causes the photos and videos to lose quality. And impossible to go unnoticed, because messages sent from an Android device appear in green, while those sent from an iPhone appear in blue. Therefore, teenagers fear being excluded from their social circle if they use an Android smartphone. A hell of a pressure! Google may have called on Apple to adopt the new RCS communication protocol on iMessage so that it becomes the standard and finally replaces traditional SMS and MMS, but nothing works (see our article).
Things go even further since this “social selection” also reaches the love strata, especially in dating applications and social networks. Many people say they do not follow up on the conversation if the message bubble is green – sent from Android therefore. The trend is particularly visible on TikTok with the trend “It’s a 10, but…” (he’s a 10 but…), which aims to evoke the “love kills” that can be prohibitive for a relationship, including with a “perfect” partner. And big surprise, owning an Android device is obviously one of them…
iPhone: a way for Apple to consolidate its market share
The adhesion of all this generation to the iPhone does Apple’s business well since, not only does it lead to an increase in sales in the short term – especially since the entry ticket to afford an iPhone 14 revolves around $1,000, or about three times the average price of an Android device worldwide – but also in the long run, teenagers who got an iPhone as their first phone should be much less likely to switch to an Android device than the following. Thus, the Apple secures a large customer base for years to come… including for its other products and services, thus gaining ever more customers and subscribers. Thus, as the Financial Times reports, for every 100 iPhones shipped, 26 iPads, 17 Apple Watches and 35 pairs of AirPods are sold. For the same amount of smartphones, Samsung sells 11 tablets, 6 smartwatches and 6 pairs of wireless headphones – but again, you’d have to see Xiaomi’s numbers.
The result of these studies is still to be qualified since this preference of generation Z for the iPhone is especially marked in the United States. China, on the contrary – which constitutes a gigantic market – gives pride of place to Xiaomi and other manufacturers in the country, while the other markets are more nuanced. However, the market research group Canalys, which carried out this study, also looked at Western Europe, where it found that 83% of Apple users under the age of 25 planned to continue use iPhone. The percentage of Android users of the same age who plan to stay on Android, on the other hand, falls below 50%.
The result of this study invites us to question Apple’s influence in society, beyond technical considerations alone. The apple brand has always played on difference: thus, the famous slogan “Think different”, under the era of Steve Jobs, already claimed to stand out, with a small touch of “superiority”, insinuating that the owners of Apple products were wiser than the mass of consumers – the “herd” – who were content from all comers – hear, the Microsoft world with Windows. With its devices with a refined design, turns avant-garde, Apple has always taken care of its brand image to create and maintain an elitist reputation – even if the American prices are often lower than the European prices. A reputation still very sensitive in the world of creatives and artists, who have kept a clear penchant for the products and services signed by the apple from the start. Especially since Apple has maintained its image for many years through discreet but insidious product placement in the cinema – just look at the proportion of Macs and iPhones that appear in films and series, which is much higher than their market shares, to be convinced… The most “fun” is to measure the attachment of users to their Apple devices once they are part of the “clan”. We just have to hope that the young European generations do not become as exclusive, and even intolerant, as their American counterparts: after all, despite the values put forward by Cupertino in its skilfully studied communication, it is only about technological products …