iPhone Serves as Gateway to iPad and Apple Watch Sales, but Mac, Apple TV, and HomePod Lag Behind

The iPhone has failed to serve as a gateway product to the Mac, Apple TV, and HomePod for over 50 percent of ‌iPhone‌ users, while the iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods have seen considerably better popularity among ‌iPhone‌ owners, according to data gathered by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).

cirp iphone owners other devicesThe device ownership of ‌iPhone‌ buyers (twelve months ending June 2021).

The CIRP investigation sought to ascertain the extent to which ‌iPhone‌ users have bought other Apple devices, given the fact that Apple seeks to cross-sell its entire product line to its core customers.

The study highlighted a contrast between personal computers and tablets for most ‌iPhone‌ owners. While almost all ‌iPhone‌ users have a computer, only a 41 percent share of these users have a Mac, with the majority having a Windows or Google Chrome device instead. On the other hand, of the ‌iPhone‌ users that have a tablet, 84 percent own an ‌iPad‌.

The Apple Watch and AirPods have also seen significant uptake from ‌iPhone‌ owners. Of the two-thirds of ‌iPhone‌ owners who have a smartwatch, three-quarters of those have an Apple Watch. Similarly, 40 percent of ‌iPhone‌ users have true wireless earbuds, and over half of these are AirPods.

Apple has seen the least success with the ‌Apple TV‌ and the ‌HomePod‌ among existing ‌iPhone‌ users. 69 percent of ‌iPhone‌ owners have a TV streaming device, such as a Google Chromecast, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV, which is more than those that have a smartwatch, but only one-quarter of these are ‌Apple TV‌ devices.

Likewise, of the 45 percent of ‌iPhone‌ users that have a smart speaker, just 21 percent have a ‌HomePod‌. CIRP noted that the ‌HomePod‌ has the lowest penetration into the ‌iPhone‌ buyer population as well as the lowest share of ownership in the category, among all six products analyzed in the study.

Overall, while Apple has succeeded in selling mobile devices to existing ‌iPhone‌ owners, including iPads and direct ‌iPhone‌ accessories such as AirPods or Apple Watches, the company has struggled to encourage a majority to buy Macs and home devices such as the ‌Apple TV‌ and ‌HomePod‌.

CIRP based its findings on a survey of approximately 900 Apple customers in the United States that purchased an ‌iPhone‌ in the twelve-month period ending in June 2021.

Tag: CIRP

Top Rated Comments

PlayUltimate Avatar
30 months ago
makes sense to me. . . the iPhone et al are consumption mobile devices. The Mac is a productivity/work tool. And those decisions are often [S]described[/S] prescribed by an employer.

AppleTV and HomePod, IMO, are mostly niche devices that only the Apple faithful own. (and yes, I won both. )
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jerry333 Avatar
30 months ago
The numbers are not surprising, given Macs have been treated poorly after Snow Leopard with reduced functionality and have been basically treated as an unwanted stepchild. The new M series chips may help because they show some commitment to Macs.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mebsat Avatar
30 months ago
These are strange conclusions to draw. These unweighted numbers don't tell you anything significant. If anything, it shows the iPhone is very popular with PC users, which we already knew.

But to tease out any meaningful correlation, unit sales by each category and replacement time interval would have to be considered.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Darth Tulhu Avatar
30 months ago
iPhone and iPad share OSes, so the experience is highly familiar to their owners. Pairing the Watch, AirPods, and AirTags are also unbelievably simple.

Also, given the iPad's current capabilities there really is no need for the average consumer to go beyond that for home use.

The Mac is the odd man out here because it has been relegated to a (mostly) work-type device by the above, it's OS is vastly different, and is less portable than its i-counterparts.

I think that Mac sales will continue to stagnate/decline in that sector. Whether or not it makes inroads into the Enterprise remains to be seen, although I still think that it is probably the perfect tool for most college students if you're just going to have the one workhorse device.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Amazing Iceman Avatar
30 months ago
A lot of people are happy with an iPad, because of portability, ease of use, and because it does all they need to do.
The rest would buy a Mac.

In my case I have them all: iPhone, iPad, MacBook and iMac...
I use my iPad the most, even for work. Then when I really need to do multiple things at once, I'll use the iMac and the iPad together. To me, they complement each other.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
30 months ago
Aside from industry compatibility (which granted is improving), I think I can safely say I’m happy the Mac continues to be the underdog.

Who knows what capitalist junk Apple would ship if it was the world’s #1 computer vendor… It’s bad enough they sell leather MacBook ‘sleeves’ that cost more than basic peripherals.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple card 1

Apple Ending Apple Card Partnership With Goldman Sachs

Tuesday November 28, 2023 3:09 pm PST by
Apple is ending its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple plans to stop working with Goldman Sachs in the next 12 to 15 months, and it is not yet clear if Apple has established a new partnership for the Apple Card. Apple and Goldman Sachs will dissolve their entire consumer partnership, including the Apple Card and the Apple Savings account....
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.2 Beta 4

Tuesday November 28, 2023 12:18 pm PST by
Apple is wrapping up development on iOS 17.2, with the update expected to come out in December. While we're getting to the end of the beta testing period, Apple is still tweaking features and adding new functionality. We've rounded up everything new in the fourth beta of iOS 17.2. Default Notification Sound Under Sounds & Haptics, there's a new "Default Alerts" section that allows you to ...
ios 17 namedrop

Police Departments and News Sites Spreading Misinformation About How iOS 17 NameDrop Feature Works

Monday November 27, 2023 5:11 pm PST by
Apple with iOS 17.1 and watchOS 10.1 introduced a new NameDrop feature that is designed to allow users to place Apple devices near one another to quickly exchange contact information. Sharing contact information is done with explicit user permission, but some news organizations and police departments have been spreading misinformation about how NameDrop functions. As noted by The Washington...
All New CarPlay Five New Features Article 2

What to Expect From All-New CarPlay, Still Listed as Coming 'Late 2023'

Tuesday November 28, 2023 7:44 am PST by
At WWDC in June 2022, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, increased personalization, and more. Apple's website still says the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience will be announced in "late 2023," but it has not shared...
iOS 17

iOS 17.1.2 Update for iPhone Likely to Be Released This Week

Monday November 27, 2023 8:24 am PST by
Apple will likely release iOS 17.1.2 this week, based on mounting evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs in recent days. As a minor update, iOS 17.1.2 should be focused on bug fixes, but it's unclear exactly which issues might be addressed. Some users have continued to experience Wi-Fi issues on iOS 17.1.1, so perhaps iOS 17.1.2 will include the same fix for Wi-Fi...
Apple 5G Modem Feature Triad

Apple to Discontinue Custom 5G Modem Development, Claim Reports

Wednesday November 29, 2023 4:19 am PST by
Apple is discontinuing in-house modem development after several unsuccessful attempts to perfect its own custom 5G modem chip, according to unconfirmed reports coming out of Asia. According to the operator of news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Naver blog, supply chain sources related to Apple's 5G modem departments claim that the company's attempts to develop its own modem have...
Apple Logo

Apple Discontinued These 5 Products This Year

Monday November 27, 2023 7:03 am PST by
As the end of 2023 nears, now is a good opportunity to look back at some of the devices and accessories that Apple discontinued throughout the year. Apple products discontinued in 2023 include the iPhone 13 mini, 13-inch MacBook Pro, MagSafe Battery Pack, MagSafe Duo Charger, and leather accessories. Also check out our lists of Apple products discontinued in 2022 and 2021. iPhone Mini ...
Google Drive

Some Google Drive Users' Files Have Mysteriously Vanished

Tuesday November 28, 2023 3:55 am PST by
Google Drive users have been warned not to disconnect their account within the Google Drive for desktop app, after a spate of reports of files going missing from the cloud service. Alarm bells began ringing last week on Google's community support site when some users reported files mysteriously disappearing from Google Drive, with some posters claiming six or more months of data had...