Latest news with #ConsumerIntelligenceResearchPartners
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Almost 50% of new iPhone buyers are able to afford it by selling their old mobile
If you see your friend flaunting a new iPhone then chances are that he could only afford it after selling the older model. According to the latest data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), nearly half (49%) of iPhone buyers in the past year either sold or traded in their previous device — a notable increase from 43% in 2020. The trend reflects how much easier — and potentially more worthwhile — it has become to part with an older phone when upgrading. In other words, holding onto an older iPhone makes little sense for most buyers these days. Now, with growing iPhone prices, most buyers prefer to trade in or resell their old device at a reasonable price to get the new model at a better deal.(Aishwarya Panda-HT) The report also highlights that mobile carriers have improved their trade-in offers, aiming to retain existing customers and attract new ones. At the same time, third-party resale platforms have matured, giving users more ways to extract extra value from older devices. Also read: How to schedule texts on Android and iPhone: Step-by-step guide According to the latest CIRP report, which was published a few days ago, the old iPhones are being resold in greater numbers. But why buy new iPhones in the first place? Well, the study highlights that the majority of iPhone users buy the latest models because of performance and battery issues, or screen damage. However, only 13% of the people reported that they buy an iPhone for new features, or what we can say is the integration of Apple Intelligence. Now, what comes to the real question, what happens to the old iPhone? The study revealed that 49% of iPhone buyers trade in or resell their old model. This makes more sense, as retail stores, e-commerce platforms, and others have started to provide greater benefits on trade-in devices, making it easier for iPhone buyers to get a new-generation model at a great price. Additionally, the reselling process has also been streamlined and is hassle-free. Also read: iPhone 17 Air likely to come with optional accessories for lasting battery life- Details While there is a significant growth in iPhone resale, in 2025, 37% of iPhone users reported, their old models are being used as a secondary device, backup or being passed on to a family member or a friend. In comparison to the 2020 study, the numbers are down from 44%. And only 14% reported that their iPhone was broken, lost, or stolen. Now, with growing iPhone prices, most buyers prefer to trade in or resell their old device at a reasonable price to get the new model at a better deal. Well, this makes much more sense since buyers are not only saving money, but getting a greater value for the new device. Mobile Finder: iPhone 17 Air LATEST specs, features, and price
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wall Street thought AI would spark a massive iPhone upgrade cycle. Turns out, fear of Trump's tariffs did the trick.
Tariff fears spurred a surge in iPhone purchases in early 2025. Long-term iPhone users upgraded due to potential price hikes, not new AI innovations. This shows, again, how the iPhone is becoming a utility for most consumers. In a surprising twist, it wasn't flashy AI features that finally nudged longtime iPhone users to upgrade — it was tariffs. Wall Street analysts have been predicting a major iPhone upgrade cycle since Apple started integrating generative AI into the devices about a year ago. It hasn't really happened yet. However, fears of impending price hikes due to tariffs drove a notable surge in iPhone purchases in the first quarter of 2025, according to data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. This wasn't a marginal blip. The percentage of US iPhone buyers retiring phones three years or older hit 39% in this recent period. That's up from a steady 30% in previous quarters. "That is a significant shift," CIRP founders Michael Levin and Josh Lowitz wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday. "The threat of tariff-induced price increases really moved the needle." Maybe Tim Cook should thank Donald Trump? This shift marks a significant behavioral change among iPhone users, particularly those known for holding onto their devices the longest. Since the end of two-year carrier subsidies, and thanks to more durable hardware and better battery life, consumers have been upgrading less frequently. But the looming specter of higher prices changed the calculus for many iPhone owners. Long-term users, typically more cost-conscious than tech-hungry early adopters, decided it was better to buy now than risk paying more later. Interestingly, the tariff scare didn't inspire a blanket rush to upgrade across all user types. Those who already upgrade frequently, often after just one or two years, didn't significantly alter their patterns, according to CIRP's findings. Instead, it was the "delayers" — users who cling to aging devices — that made the leap. For them, this iPhone upgrade was less about chasing AI innovation and more about necessity: replacing a failing phone before the price tag climbed out of reach. The data confirms what I told BI readers about earlier this year: an iPhone is a utility now for most people. We don't care about the whiz-bang new features, we just need it not to break for as long as possible so we can run our increasingly digital lives. Long-term iPhone owners don't upgrade for status or the latest camera specs; they upgrade when holding off any longer becomes riskier than making a purchase. This cohort, often overlooked in flashy product launches, just made a major impact on Apple's quarterly sales. What remains to be seen is whether this bump is a one-time blip or the start of a new pattern. If macroeconomic concerns continue to shape tech-buying habits, Apple and its competitors may need to rethink how they target and serve this "long-hold" user base. For now, though, it seems a little tariff fear went a long way in moving a notoriously cautious segment of the market. Will future pricing fears continue to drive these pragmatic upgraders into the Apple Store sooner than expected? Time, and tariffs, will tell. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
08-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Wall Street thought AI would spark a massive iPhone upgrade cycle. Turns out, fear of Trump's tariffs did the trick.
In a surprising twist, it wasn't flashy AI features that finally nudged longtime iPhone users to upgrade — it was tariffs. Wall Street analysts have been predicting a major iPhone upgrade cycle since Apple started integrating generative AI into the devices about a year ago. It hasn't really happened yet. However, fears of impending price hikes due to tariffs drove a notable surge in iPhone purchases in the first quarter of 2025, according to data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. This wasn't a marginal blip. The percentage of US iPhone buyers retiring phones three years or older hit 39% in this recent period. That's up from a steady 30% in previous quarters. "That is a significant shift," CIRP founders Michael Levin and Josh Lowitz wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday. "The threat of tariff-induced price increases really moved the needle." This shift marks a significant behavioral change among iPhone users, particularly those known for holding onto their devices the longest. Since the end of two-year carrier subsidies, and thanks to more durable hardware and better battery life, consumers have been upgrading less frequently. But the looming specter of higher prices changed the calculus for many iPhone owners. Long-term users, typically more cost-conscious than tech-hungry early adopters, decided it was better to buy now than risk paying more later. Interestingly, the tariff scare didn't inspire a blanket rush to upgrade across all user types. Those who already upgrade frequently, often after just one or two years, didn't significantly alter their patterns, according to CIRP's findings. Instead, it was the "delayers" — users who cling to aging devices — that made the leap. For them, this iPhone upgrade was less about chasing AI innovation and more about necessity: replacing a failing phone before the price tag climbed out of reach. Apple is a utility The data confirms what I told BI readers about earlier this year: an iPhone is a utility now for most people. We don't care about the whiz-bang new features, we just need it not to break for as long as possible so we can run our increasingly digital lives. Long-term iPhone owners don't upgrade for status or the latest camera specs; they upgrade when holding off any longer becomes riskier than making a purchase. This cohort, often overlooked in flashy product launches, just made a major impact on Apple's quarterly sales. What remains to be seen is whether this bump is a one-time blip or the start of a new pattern. If macroeconomic concerns continue to shape tech-buying habits, Apple and its competitors may need to rethink how they target and serve this "long-hold" user base. For now, though, it seems a little tariff fear went a long way in moving a notoriously cautious segment of the market. Will future pricing fears continue to drive these pragmatic upgraders into the Apple Store sooner than expected? Time, and tariffs, will tell.
Observer
27-02-2025
- Business
- Observer
Amazon unveils Alexa+, powered by generative AI
Amazon's Alexa is undergoing its biggest overhaul since debuting more than a decade ago. On Wednesday, Amazon said it was giving Alexa a new brain powered by generative artificial intelligence. The update, called Alexa+, is set to make the virtual assistant more conversational and helpful in booking concert tickets, coordinating calendars and suggesting food to be delivered. Alexa+ will cost $19.99 a month or be included for customers who pay for Amazon's Prime membership program, which costs $14.99 a month. It will begin rolling out next month. 'Until right this moment, right this moment, we have been limited by the technology,' Panos Panay, the head of Amazon's devices, said at a media event. 'Alexa+ is that trusted assistant that can help you conduct your life and your home.' With the changes, Amazon is aiming to catch up in generative AI for everyday users. While the Seattle company has in recent months made up for lost time in AI products and services that it sells to businesses and other organizations, its grip on consumer AI products has been narrower. Alexa's upgrades, which were first teased in 2023, are Amazon's biggest bet on becoming a force in consumer AI. The moves are also an opportunity to reboot Alexa, which has been perceived as having fallen behind other virtual assistants. In recent years, Alexa's growth in the United States has generally stagnated, according to the research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, with people turning to the assistant for only a few main tasks, such as setting timers and alarms, playing music and asking questions about the weather and sports scores. At Wednesday's event, Panay and other Amazon executives demonstrated how Alexa+ could do those things in a more personalized manner. Alexa+ could identify who was speaking and know the person's preferences, such as favorite sports teams, musicians and foods, they said. They also showed how a device powered by Alexa+ could suggest a restaurant, book a reservation on OpenTable, order an Uber and send a calendar invitation. Alexa, which was a brainchild of Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder, debuted in 2014, wowing people with its ability to take verbal requests and translate them into actions. It became a symbol of Amazon's innovation. Over the years, the company has highlighted some Alexa-connected devices, including Echo speakers, a connected microwave, a wall clock and a twerking teddy bear. But wild experimentation has been out since Bezos stepped down as Amazon's CEO in 2021 and handed the company over to Andy Jassy, a longtime executive. Jassy reined in Amazon's expenses, killed some projects that appeared to have no obvious prospects and oversaw layoffs. In 2023, he hired Panay, a Microsoft executive, to oversee devices. Panay's top responsibility was to bring generative AI to Alexa and to unlock the promise of the all-helpful assistant that Amazon had long envisioned. Soon after Panay started, Amazon said it was rebuilding Alexa's brain with the kind of technologies that underpinned OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot. 'The re-architecture of all of Alexa has happened,' Panay said Wednesday. As Amazon worked to update Alexa, competitors leapfrogged it. ChatGPT, for example, can hold extended, in-depth conversations, with some people developing emotional — and even sexual — relationships with AI personas. (The New York Times has sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, claiming copyright infringement of news content related to AI systems. The companies have denied the claims.) Bringing generative AI to Alexa was not easy because the virtual assistant faces challenges that a chatbot does not. Alexa might serve multiple users in a household, for instance, so it needs to distinguish who is speaking and personalize the responses. Amazon also wants Alexa to be at the center of people's lives and connected to multiple smart devices and services, which is complicated. It must integrate multiple AI systems, including ones built by Amazon and the startup Anthropic, and interact with devices such as smart lightbulbs and with apps including Ticketmaster. Amazon also gave Alexa+ a personality, even training it with comedians to make it funny. 'In the fall, it was just too slow,' Panay said in an interview. Generative AI has also been afflicted by 'hallucinations,' or when the AI systems serve up incorrect information. Because Alexa interacts with the real world — playing a song, ordering a product, turning off an alarm — Panay said Alexa had to reliably get things right. He said he believed Alexa+ was finally both fast and accurate. 'I think people will fall in love with it pretty quickly.' This article originally appeared in
New York Times
26-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Amazon Unveils Alexa+, Powered by Generative A.I.
Amazon's Alexa is undergoing its biggest overhaul since debuting more than a decade ago. On Wednesday, Amazon said it was giving Alexa a new brain powered by generative artificial intelligence. The update, called Alexa+, is set to make the virtual assistant more conversational and helpful in booking concert tickets, coordinating calendars and suggesting food to be delivered. Alexa+ will cost $19.99 a month or be included for customers who pay for Amazon's Prime membership program. It will roll out next month. 'Until right this moment, right this moment, we have been limited by the technology,' Panos Panay, the head of Amazon's devices, said at a media event. 'Alexa+ is that trusted assistant that can help you conduct your life and your home.' With the changes, Amazon is aiming to catch up in generative A.I. for everyday users. While the Seattle-based company has in recent months made up for lost time in A.I. products and services that it sells to businesses and other organizations, its grip on consumer A.I. products has been narrower. Alexa's upgrades, which were first teased in 2023, are Amazon's biggest bet on becoming a force in consumer A.I. The moves are also an opportunity to reboot Alexa, which has been perceived as having fallen behind other virtual assistants. In recent years, Alexa's growth in the United States has generally stagnated, according to the research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, with people turning to the assistant for only a few main tasks, such as setting timers and alarms, playing music and asking questions about the weather and sports scores. At Wednesday's event, Mr. Panay and other Amazon executives demonstrated how Alexa+ could do those things in a more personalized manner. Alexa+ could identify who was speaking and know their preferences, such as favorite sports teams, musicians and foods, they said. They also showed how a device powered by Alexa+ could suggest a restaurant, book a reservation on OpenTable, order an Uber and send a calendar invite. Alexa, which was a brainchild of Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder, debuted in 2014, wowing people with its ability to take verbal requests and translate them into actions. It became a symbol of Amazon's innovation. Over the years, the company has highlighted some Alexa-connected devices, including Echo speakers, a connected microwave, wall clock and twerking teddy bear. But wild experimentation has been out since Mr. Bezos stepped down as Amazon's chief executive in 2021 and handed the company over to Andy Jassy, a longtime executive. Mr. Jassy reined in Amazon's expenses, killed some projects that appeared to have no obvious prospects and oversaw layoffs. In 2023, he hired Mr. Panay, a Microsoft executive, to oversee devices. Mr. Panay's top responsibility was to bring generative A.I. to Alexa and to unlock the promise of the all-helpful assistant that Amazon had long envisioned. Soon after Mr. Panay started, Amazon said it was rebuilding Alexa's brain with the kind of technologies that underpinned OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot. 'The re-architecture of all of Alexa has happened,' Mr. Panay said on Wednesday. As Amazon worked to update Alexa, competitors have leapfrogged it. ChatGPT, for example, can hold extended, in-depth conversations, with some people developing emotional — and even sexual — relationships with A.I. personas. (The New York Times has sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, claiming copyright infringement of news content related to A.I. systems. The companies have denied the claims.) Bringing generative A.I. to Alexa was not easy because the virtual assistant faces challenges that a chatbot does not. Alexa might serve multiple users in a household, for instance, so it needs to distinguish who is speaking. Amazon also wants Alexa to be at the center of people's lives and connected to multiple smart devices, which is complicated. Rohit Prasad, who heads the development of Amazon's A.I. systems, said in an interview last year that he had 23 different devices, like smart lightbulbs, controlled through his Alexa system. 'It's extremely hard to do that right, with high reliability, every day,' he said. Generative A.I. has also been afflicted by 'hallucinations,' or when the A.I. systems serve up incorrect information. Because Alexa interacts with the real world — playing a song, ordering a product, turning off an alarm — customers must see Alexa as a reliable assistant, Mr. Prasad said. 'You cannot afford the kind of hallucination rates that can happen if you're executing your light switches,' he said.
