Study reveals how important iPhone is to users by age, and it’s not who you think

Earlier this month, CIRP released a study looking at how fast users would repair or replace a broken, lost, or stolen iPhone, iPad, or Mac. With its latest survey, the firm attempted to measure how much the devices matter to users by age, and the results are not what you’d expect.

CIRP’s new study, “Maybe Younger Customers Aren’t Addicted to Their Gadgets…” was published on its Substack. Dividing respondents into six age groups, the study asked how fast they would replace or repair their iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

While you’d probably expect the opposite, the youngest group made up of 18-24-year-olds turned out to have the lowest percentage of those who would replace iPhones either “immediately – same day” or “within a day or two” at 59%.

The 55-64-year-old group had the highest at 90% saying they’d replace or repair iPhone within a day or two or right away. And 45-54-year-olds were very close behind 89%. That’s fascinating when you consider young users usually get pointed at for being addicted to their devices.

Here’s a look at the full results:

Acknowledged by CIRP, there are of course many factors at play when it comes to how fast someone may plan to repair or replace a device like having the money to do so, access to an Apple Store/repair shop, having a backup device, and more.

But in closing, CIRP believes “the distinction between the generations is clear.” And for iPad and Mac, the same trend for older users to replace or repair more quickly than the youngest owners held true.