iPad Replacement Cycle Similar to Macs, Study Says

The iPhone replacement cycle has been covered by multiple reports, and the majority of them agree that customer loyalty is high, as – according to the latest study – 91% of iPhone owners intend to buy another iPhone in the next six months or so. But what about the iPad replacement cycle? Consumer Intelligence Research Partners have conducted a survey to find out more (via Fortune).

Just like the iPhone, the iPad has access to a large library of apps, and shares many usage patterns with the handset, but when it comes to replacement, it resembles the Mac (2–4 year replacement cycle), or in some cases even worse, TVs (5+ years), the CIRP study claims.

The market research company has compared the two devices and found that while eight out of ten lost or broken iPhones get replaced within two days, owners of a broken iPad (or Mac) may wait a week or more.

Also, iPad users are twice as likely to give their “old” iPad to a friend or family member as iPhone users.

Ipad replacement cycle cirp

Ipad replacement cycle 2 cirp

“We think Apple would prefer the iPad become a big iPhone,” the report concludes. “We suspect, though, based on recent CIRP data about how buyers use them, that it’s as much like a Mac, TV, or iPod, with less frequent replacement.”

The findings are the result of a survey of 2,000 US customers who purchased an iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer in 2013.

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