Apple Inc. (AAPL) Losing Moms And Kids?

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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s popularity may still be high overall, but one study suggests that the company may be losing its luster with a couple of key groups: moms, who control the purse strings, and kids, who decide what’s cool. Millennials as a whole seem to be losing interest in the company’s products, with the greatest concentration of them being in these two groups, according to Forbes contributor Larissa Faw.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) Losing Moms And Kids?

Frustration with Apple products

She points to a number of issues consumers have complained about in recent years, like the fact that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) changed all of the chargers and accessories so that none of the old ones would work with new models. Consumers then had to buy all of those items again if they wanted to keep using them with their iPhone 5 and newer Apple devices.

And don’t forget the major problems with the iOS 7 rollout. Aside from the technical errors experienced by many, there was the fact that the animations in the operating system triggered nausea in many people. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has now made it possible to turn those animations off.

Apple losing the ability to innovate?

The argument about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) no longer innovating is also alive and well. Faw notes that Apple hasn’t launched a new product category since 2010 when the iPad was introduced. All of the company’s devices are pretty much the same as the previous models with nothing much to differentiate them. Cost-conscious families choose not to upgrade to new models, and kids looking for entertainment don’t see the value in a new model because they can’t do anything new on the new models.

Nonetheless, the fact that there are long lines at every Apple launch is telling. But who is in those lines? Studies suggest that moms, kids and Millennials are less interested in Apple products.

Apple losing Millenials

Tina Wells of Buzz Marketing Group told Faw that Millennials are starting to lose interest in Apple products. She notes that this isn’t true across the board but suggests that it’s enough to be noticeable. A few areas where Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) does remain popular among the members of this generation include “affluent teens,” with two-thirds of them saying they plan to buy an iPhone for their next smartphone and 64% of them planning to buy an iPad within the next six months. That’s according to a recent survey conducted by Piper Jaffray.

Apple losing moms and kids

The place where Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s popularity appears to be waning the most is in moms and kids, according to a study conducted by Smarty Pants. The survey focuses on children between the ages of six and 12 and shows that the iPad is the most popular in this age group although Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s other devices are either declining or flat in popularity.

Moms are also losing interest in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s products. Smarty Pants’ survey showed that moms’ interest in the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch fell 17 points this year, continuing a declining trend from last year. Also their opinion of the iPad fell for the first time—a 9-point drop year over year.

Why Android may be winning some over

Moms often control the family bank accounts while kids generally decide what’s cool, so these two groups have been important in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s dominance. However, Android has managed to win some moms and kids over, according to many market observers. Smarty Pants’ Wynne Tyree suggests that it’s the plethora of different kinds of products which have their own feel and style. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s one size fits all approach just doesn’t work any longer.

Faw suggests that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) must return to its innovative roots in order to change this trend. I would suggest that an entirely new product category is required—something that goes beyond the rumored iWatch or iTV. We can’t even know what type of product it would be because we won’t know it until we see it.

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