Chegg Survey Finds One Third of College and High School Students Plan to Purchase iPhone 6 While One in Ten Plan to Purchase the Apple Watch

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Sep 11, 2014, 09:00 ET

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- What: Results of the latest Student Buzz surveys conducted by Chegg, The Student Hub, show that with the anticipated iPhone 6 news, students plan to buy. One third of college and high school students plan to purchase the iPhone 6 and one in ten plan to purchase the Apple Watch.

Chegg sought out the opinions and anticipated purchasing behaviors of students to see how they stacked up. Here's what they found:

College students swayed by Apple's new launches: Apple's announcement created a strong conviction among the already-converted, and about half of those on the fence decided to move towards a purchase:

In anticipating the features for the new phone, 66% of students say Apple is delivering what they would've expected
- Over half feel the phone is "more style than substance" (55%)
- Upon hearing just the rumors of the new phone and features the week before, 1 in 3 said they'd "definitely" or "probably" buy the new iPhone when it comes out (36%)
Following the September 9^th announcement, these attitudes have shifted little:
- Only 36% still say they'll "definitely" or "probably" buy the phone
- The product announcement solidified the conviction among those who were already leaning towards a purchase. 72% of those who said they were already likely to buy the phone prior to the announcement said they were now somewhat (25%) or much more (46%) likely to buy it
- 47% of those on the fence – who said they "might or might not" buy the phone ahead of the announcement – now say they are somewhat (36%) or much more likely (11%) to buy it
- Just 14% of those who previously said they were unlikely to buy the phone said they were now somewhat (12%) or much more likely (2%) to buy it

Students want an indestructible, longer-lasting iPhone: You can't count on customers to tell you what they want in order to guarantee purchase, but students' iPhone wish lists are reflective of their always-on lifestyles. 50% of current iPhone student users say they'll be likely getting the new phone and explain what features are motivating their purchase:

Students most request a bigger and better battery life, at 19%, followed by waterproof and durability, at 16%
Of the rumored new features:
- 48% and 45% say bigger battery and more memory, respectively, would drive them to buy
- While bigger screen sizes are considered by pundits as must-haves in order to keep Apple competitive, only 34% of students have it on their list

Students uncertain about Apple Watch: Students claim they are not hot on wearables (according to Chegg's August Student Buzz survey, only 18% of students own a wearable), and interest in Apple Watch is virtually non-existent.

Only 6% of current Android phone users and only 14% of iPhone users say they'd seriously consider buying an Apple Watch. But why?
- Rejecters felt most commonly that the watch was "too expensive for what it was" (40%), or that they "don't need the functionality it delivers" (39%)
- Only half (47%) of those who cited price as their main reason to avoid the watch said that they'd be excited to get it as a gift
- A smaller 6% reject it primarily because of the appearance, while only 4% said they were turned off primarily because of the need to use it in conjunction with the iPhone
Those who did intend to buy were most attracted to the fitness features (33%), with the next most commonly cited motivator being their "love for gadgets" (25%)
Seeing the watch itself didn't change the minds of skeptics, with only 5% of those who said they didn't expect to buy the watch prior to the announcement now saying they were "much more likely to buy one"
When students were asked their interest in switching to all-Apple for better integration capability across devices, only 15% said they would "definitely" or "probably" switch; 35% of students said they would definitely not switch to a Mac for better integration with the rest of their Apple devices

Why: Through its interactions with over 13 million high school and college students, Chegg has deep insight into the student landscape. As a student-first company, it's Chegg's prerogative to keep a constant pulse on the collective nationwide student mindset – from the brands they like, to the trends they follow, and even the differing views they have on the most recent news. While Chegg's mission is to deliver tools and services to help this group be successful in their education.

How: Chegg surveyed 1586 college students attending 2 year & 4 year schools and 446 high school students between August 30 & September 2 and re-contacted 448 of these respondents on September 9 from Chegg's proprietary national panel of 15,000 students. Data was weighted and quoted to national norms. Data is accurate to within +/- 1.6% at the 95% confidence level.

About Chegg: Chegg puts students first and is proud to have saved students and their families more than $450 million in 2013 alone. As the leading student-first connected learning platform, Chegg's Student Hub makes higher education more affordable and more accessible, all while improving student outcomes. Chegg is a publicly-held company based in Santa Clara, California and trades on the NYSE under the symbol CHGG. For more information, visit www.chegg.com

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