Report: iPads Retained and Repurposed Much More Often Than iPhones

iPad owners are more likely to keep or repurpose their old devices compared to iPhones, according to data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).

10th Gen iPad Feature Fanned Blue
The data, covering the twelve months ending in March 2024, shows that 67 percent of repeat ‌iPad‌ buyers keep their old iPads or pass them on to family and friends. This is a notable contrast to iPhone users, where only 41 percent keep or hand down their previous phones. About one-third of old iPads are handed down to family members or friends, compared to about 10 percent of old iPhones.

This suggests that iPads, even when they are replaced, remain highly desirable and usable, which diminishes the urgency to upgrade to a newer model. This behavior contrasts with ‌iPhone‌ users, who are much more likely to trade in their old devices. Nearly half of ‌iPhone‌ upgraders trade in their previous phones, taking advantage of the secondary market and higher trade-in values. In contrast, fewer than 10 percent of ‌iPad‌ upgraders opt for trade-ins.

23 percent of ‌iPad‌ upgraders report replacing their old devices due to loss, theft, or damage, whereas only six percent of ‌iPhone‌ upgraders cite these reasons. This indicates that iPads are frequently replaced out of necessity rather than a desire to upgrade.

cirp ipad upgrades 2024
CIRP's report also sheds light on the upgrade cycles for these devices. Forty percent of ‌iPad‌ users wait three years or more before upgrading, a figure that has steadily increased over recent years. This is in stark contrast to ‌iPhone‌ users, who typically upgrade more frequently and are influenced by a much stronger trade-in market.

These trends suggest that iPads continue to serve valuable roles within households even after being replaced by newer models. The secondary market for refurbished iPads appears to be much less developed than that for iPhones, possibly due to the high retained value that old iPads provide to their owners. While Apple may prefer customers to be motivated to upgrade to the latest models for their new features, the data indicates that many ‌iPad‌ upgrades are still driven by necessity rather than desire.

Tag: CIRP

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Top Rated Comments

WWPD Avatar
15 months ago
I upgrade my iPad every time there is a new one. I don't know about you, but I don't want people to point and laugh at me when I enter a Starbucks with a last gen iPad.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
magicschoolbus Avatar
15 months ago
Not exactly surprising espically when you look at the trade in values.

I looked at what a trade in on my m1 11 inch would be on Best Buy and Apple; both were 400$. Now, I have the Apple Keyboard and Pencil for this device. It also still runs circles around anything I do. Is it worth giving up almost 400$ in peripherals and only getting 400$ for a perfectly good iPad? I’d rather just hold onto it and find a different use for it, give it to another family member, etc for that price.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tomtad Avatar
15 months ago
Mother Nature likes this
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Andres Cantu Avatar
15 months ago

Mother Nature likes this
Not Mother StockPrice though
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
raindogg Avatar
15 months ago
I think most people only use their iPad for consumption. It's almost impossible to do any real work on it. For me, everything takes 3 times longer to do than my Mac. So if my 6 year old iPad still plays YouTube then why buy a new one.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
15 months ago
91-year-old mom is still using an iPad Air gen1 with soloslides as a slide show frame of iCloud Photos that family can post to.

My gf still is using an iPhone SE Gen 1. She doesn’t like the bigger phones :rolleyes:
Waiting for the next small iPhone.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)