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

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Top Rated Comments

PlayUltimate Avatar
50 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
50 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
50 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
50 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
50 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
50 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)