Apple Watch owners are more likely to own better iPhones, study finds
If, for some reason, you want to find out which iPhone model a person owns but don't want to ask them, you have to look no further than their wrist.
Research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) (via AppleInsider) has found that in 2022, the iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max, were the phones of choice for consumers who owned both an Apple Watch and an iPhone.
The Apple Watch requires an iPhone for the setup process, but it can be used independently thereafter. It does not work with Android smartphones.
It's possible to get your Apple Watch up and running using someone else iPhone, but most people are unlikely to go for this option. So, it's reasonable to assume that most Apple Watch owners also own an iPhone.
The converse is not true though. According to one report, the Apple Watch attach rate, or the percentage of iPhone owners who have an Apple Watch, reached 30 percent of iPhones in North America in H1 2022.
CIRP's findings indicate that affluent iPhone users are more likely to buy an Apple Watch. Per the report, 27 percent of Apple Watch users own current-gen and previous-gen Pro models, which makes them the most popular models for Apple Watch owners. iPhone users who don't have an smartwatch are likely to own less premium models.
The iPhone 13 and 13 mini were the most popular iPhones among those who didn't have an Apple Watch, owned by 31 percent of them. Only 15 percent of non-smartwatch owners bought the iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro phones.
The base iPhone 14 Pro model costs $999 and it's understandable that someone spending this much on a phone wouldn't hesitate to buy an Apple Watch.
It makes sense that Apple customers who invest in an Apple Watch are more likely, and perhaps more able, to invest in a premium iPhone. Apple Watch owners are more dedicated to the Apple ecosystem overall, so they see value in owning the most advanced iPhone models to complement their Apple Watch." -CIRP
Smartwatch shipments grew 12 percent year on year in 2022. Apple remained the dominant player and managed to increase its market share from 32.6 percent to 34.1 percent. Apple's smartwatches, particularly the luxe Watch Ultra which costs $799, also pushed up the average selling price of $400+ smartwatches.
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