Apple might be making a concerted shift towards services, there’s no doubt that its hardware division is still hoping people out there in the wild want to buy iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other Apple-branded devices. A new survey of teens in the United States suggests there is still a solid base to build from.

According to a new survey from Piper Jaffray’s semiannual “Taking Stock With Teens”, a record number of teens in the U.S. are still using an iPhone as their daily driver. The survey shows that 83 percent of teens surveyed, as of spring 2019, use an iPhone as their primary device. There were 8,000 teenagers surveyed in this latest report, with a turnout of 54 percent male and 46 percent female.

Average age? 16.3 years. The investment bank also broke up its survey into two groups: “upper-income” households with an annual income of $100,000 per year, and “average income” with an annual income of $55,000 per year.

And if that’s not good enough, a whole 86% of the respondents say that their next phone will be an iPhone. As a quick comparison, as noted by MacRumors, in the spring of 2016 that number was sitting at 75 percent. So the company must be doing something right (hardware, software, marketing, you choose) to win over the teenage market and keep young people interested in iPhones.

Of course, drawing in the younger crowd makes sense — especially for a company that is putting more focus on services. While things like Apple Music are technically available on Android as well (which is a good thing), locking those customers in at a young age and keeping them invested with services can mean they stick around into adulthood as well.

What the company might need to work on is the Apple Watch and getting that same younger crowd interested in the smartwatch. According to the survey, only 27 percent own a smartwatch now. And, looking ahead, only 22% believe they will be buying a new Apple Watch in the next six months.

Our Take

This is good news for Apple, even if it’s just 8,000 teenagers. It’s a good sign that the company is winning over the younger crowd and potentially keeping them in the family well into the future.

[via MacRumors]