The iPhone has been in vogue since its release, with plenty of reports over the years highlighting just how much the iPhone has saturated the U.S. market, especially for teenagers. Now, it seems it's the Apple Watch's turn.
The Taking Stock With Teens report, published twice a year, claims that 31% of teens in the U.S. own an Apple Watch — nearly a third of teens in America. It's not just the fact that teens are strapping an Apple Watch to their wrists that's surprising; it's also the number of people that say they want one. Reportedly, 16% of teens plan to buy one in the future. These are not nice statistics to see if you're Apple, but the report could be less representative than you may expect at first glance.
Some people, like Philip Elmer-DeWitt of Apple 3.0, have questioned if the report samples too heavily from U.S. suburban areas to be genuinely accurate; however, he still believes the report does a decent job of pointing out trends.
His skepticism is likely well-founded, as 31% of teens are huge. The report also claims that 87% of teens in the U.S. own an iPhone.
Cheaper Apple Watch SE part of the reason?
While the report doesn't specify what models of Apple Watch teens are inclined to strap on their wrists, it makes me wonder if the Apple Watch SE (and the newly released Apple Watch SE 2) have made a difference.
While the SE doesn't have all the top-tier health features of the Series 8 or Apple Watch Ultra, it does all the fitness tracking and has all the smartwatch features you get from the flagship Apple Watch, all while being reasonably priced a $249. I'd have to imagine the number of teens who care if their Apple Watch can do an ECG reading is relativity low.
Plus, with the enhancements to the Apple Watch that watchOS 9 has made this year and with Family Setup, it's likely never been more compelling for parents to buy an Apple Watch for their teenagers at home.
