With Apple expected to announce two new iPhones at tomorrow’s special media event, an interesting fact is highlighted by leading analytics and marketing platform for mobile and web apps Localystics that 3.5 years after its launch, the iPad 2 is still the most popular iPad model, while the iPhone 5 manages to edge out the iPhone 5s as the most popular iPhone model.
The iPad 2 still enjoys its spot as the most popular model with a 29% share of all iPads, while the iPhone 5, which was launched in 2012, remains Apple’s most popular smartphone with a 27% share, though only leads its successor, the iPhone 5s, by a small (2%) margin. According to the source, this is largely because most iPhones come with a cheaper price if the consumer locks into a 2-year contract, which puts the average consumer on a 2-year upgrade cycle.
“With the new iPhones expected to be available for purchase later this month, the iPhone 6 will likely eat into the iPhone 5’s market share. Compared to the iPhones, where the two-year-old iPhone 5 only slightly edges out the most recent iPhone iteration, it seems that older iPads have more staying power. There are several reasons why this could be the case. The iPad 2 wasn’t discontinued until March 2014, three years after it was originally released. Also, unlike iPhones, iPads are not locked into carrier contracts, giving them a longer lifespan than a traditional smartphone.”
While history suggests that Apple will announce new iPads in late October, it will be interesting to see if Apple continues this trend given the stickiness of older models.
