iPhone and Mac users are holding on to their devices for longer, slowing down the update cycle despite noticeable improvements

Apple devices have apparently reached a point where users are sticking with them for longer periods of time, a recent report suggests, and there may be some ulterior motives for that. It’s possible that Apple’s increasing support for older devices has caused users to stick with their current phones and computers, resisting the upgrade each year. But the results could also be down to the economic recession.

iPhone and Mac owners are keeping their devices for longer periods of time, and there are many factors that could be driving this trend

CIRP indicates that there has been a change in users’ purchasing habits and they are now holding on to their devices, including iPhones, iPads, and Macs, for longer. There may be various reasons for the change in trend. 71 percent iPhone users last year reported using a two-year-old device, up from 63 percent in 2020. Mac users reported the same, 68 percent of device owners say it’s been two years since their Mac was last updated.

The report mentions that Mac owners used their devices for a longer period of time compared to iPhone or iPad. The statistics suggest that 56 percent Mac users now keep their devices for three or more years, a 16 percent increase in that trend compared to 2020. This essentially means that there are fewer users now looking to upgrade their Macs.

CIRP suggests that Apple’s move to custom chips in 2020 may have something to do with the expanding upgrade cycle. Since performance is one of the key aspects users look for in a computer, Apple Silicon has eliminated much of that approach. Apple Silicon, with its improved performance and support, continues to rule the industry, and it’s a concern for Apple that fewer users are looking to upgrade to the latest machines.

However, this is not the only factor that is making users hold on to their devices longer. The global pandemic in 2020 also gave users a chance to upgrade as the pandemic promoted remote work, which created a lot of uncertainty in supply and demand. The global recession is also making users hold on to their devices longer, and since the design of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models has remained the same for years, users prefer to hold on to their devices until the next big update.

Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman also spoke earlier and mentioned the same theory regarding Mac demand. We believe that users prefer to upgrade when the design of the machines has been updated since the performance is satisfactory on M1 to M3 chips and does not become a concern after some time for some users. However, content creators and professionals might have a different opinion on this matter since performance plays a major role in everyday tasks.