August 20, 2013
A study has found that users of the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone are younger, wealthier, and smarter than users of Samsung smart phones. The research study, conducted by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners and published by Fortune, is sure to pop up in many a debate between fans of the competing smart phones.
The report’s findings are sure to be the subject of a great deal of heated discussions, with big fans of each company looking to outdo the other. There are however, pretty big problems with the argument that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) smartphone buyers are smarter than those of its biggest rival.
Sample bias
The study focused on buyers of the company’s smartphones, but did not control for the types of phone they were buying. The often highlighted fact that Samsung sells many different types of smartphones to many different types of consumers is once again useful here. Apple is much more of a luxury company that Samsung.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) customers tend to be wealthier because it sells a high priced product, and very little else. The older iterations of the company’s iPhone which it still sells are regarded as mid-range smart phones. Apple and Samsung do not cater to the same market.
Wealthier people also tend to get better jobs, and they tend to come from wealthier backgrounds. That means they are more often than not better educated than their less wealthy contemporaries. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) are in the market for a more expensive product.
Apple users are smarter because the proxy this research uses for intelligence—highest level of education—is associated with wealth. These facts are likely to be ignored by many Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) fans, however. They’re likely to be happy to have some ammunition to use in arguments with rival smartphone buyers.
Surprising Apple youth edge
The study found that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone users are younger by a significant margin, one of the more interesting and significant parts of the survey. Anther important finding is that Apple buyers tend to stick with Apple, while Android users are more likely to switch to iOS.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock has not, surprisingly, moved on the news that Apple users are smarter. The company’s shares are down a fraction on today’s trading, standing at $503.29 at time of writing.
