iPhone 4 Users May Be Skipping the 4S for the iPhone 5

Posted by Michael Nace on Thursday Nov 17, 2011 Under iPhone 4S Opinion, iPhone 5 Opinion

Strong rumors of a June iPhone 5 release, together with the iPhone 4S being a form factor refresh, may have compelled iPhone 4 users to skip the 4S rush.

While early polls showed that just as many iPhone 4 users were planning to purchase the iPhone 4S iPhone 3G/3Gs users, exit polls are revealing that not nearly as many iPhone 4 users are investing in the new model, opting instead to wait for the iPhone 5. An interesting article published by the Huffington Post indicates that Blackberry and iPhone 3G/3Gs users round out the lion’s share of iPhone 4S sales: “According to a recent survey by consumer electronics site Retrevo: Blackberry users and owners of early-generation iPhones like the 3G and the 3GS, mostly. Per Retrevo’s survey of over 1,300 electronics shoppers.”

The new survey that Huffington is referencing contradicts earlier polls that indicated a surprising number of iPhone 4 users who were planning on purchasing the iPhone 4S, in spite of it featuring the same form factor and screen size of the iPhone 4. The early Retrevo study from October 12th indicated that “the study actually found almost as many iPhone 4 owners (42%) as iPhone 3G/3GS owners (44%) planning to buy an iPhone 4S,” and that ”BlackBerry owners (24%) were less interested in switching to an iPhone than we found in previous studies.”

But these initial findings are not proving to be completely accurate in the early going of iPhone 4S sales.

Still, there are elements of the Retrevo poll that hint at why iPhone 4 users — and smartphone users as a whole — may be changing their minds about the iPhone 4S. Huffington points out that, “Retrevo also surveyed its customers’ reactions to the new iPhone 4S and found that 47 percent of iPhone owners were disappointed in the new phone. The biggest reason, however, was not the lack of a new design (disappointing 21 percent of respondents), but rather the lack of 4G capability.” The disappointment over the form factor refresh and lack of 4G has resulted in an overall skepticism about the 4S that most likely would have not been the case had the iPhone 5 debuted in 2011: when asked in October, “Will you be buying the iPhone 4S?” only 24% indicated “yes,” in the survey, with 50% indicating “no” and 26% indicating “not sure.”

It would be interesting to know where those 26% “not sure” respondents stand today with the iPhone 4S, what with the reported battery issues and the prospect of the iPhone 5 being released in June of 2012 at the WWDC. At the same time, it should not come as a surprise that iPhone 4 users may end up passing on the iPhone 4S and wait for the iPhone 5: it has been a pattern among iPhone users to skip an iteration before investing in a new model. For this reason, it would make sense that the majority of iPhone 4S customers would be legacy iPhone 3G/3Gs users.

It’s also easy to account for Blackberry users switching to the iPhone 4S: RIM had a tough year and appears to be in their death knell. Blackberry users are fleeing the sinking ship.

But considering that, of the 110+ million iPhone units sold since its debut, statistics show that the majority of iPhones sold are iPhone 4 models, and that the iPhone 4 is the most popular smartphone in the U.S. market, it could mean that the iPhone 4S will in the end not live up to the hefty estimates predicted by analysts regarding the iPhone 5.

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8 Responses to “iPhone 4 Users May Be Skipping the 4S for the iPhone 5”

  1. John Berggren Says:
    November 17th, 2011 at 11:12 am

    I think it’s perfectly rational for iPhone 4 users to skip the 4s in favor of the 5. I’m content with skipping a generation for each contract cycle. Last time I skipped 2 because I bought my original 3g too close to the 3gs release.

    I’ll pay some attention to the iPhone 5 launch details as they emerge, but I’ll be happy to wait for the 5S.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0


  2. CAPTIN KIRK Says:
    November 17th, 2011 at 11:38 am

    Purchased my 1st IPHONE (IP4)in jan-2011.Was considering waiting for wwdc but took the leap.Will woork out good 4 me if next generation is released in mid-late 2012.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  3. Core2 Says:
    November 17th, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    I kinda wished I skipped out on the 4s lately as well. Battery life\screen size and a few other Apple Care problem tickets I have open for other issues left a sour taste in my mouth.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  4. Richard Says:
    November 17th, 2011 at 9:42 pm

    I think most people get every second one, because phone company contracts tend to go for two years. Given that a phone should work for 4-5 years (unless it gets dropped one time too many or goes for a swim), updating every two years keeps most people close enough to the front of the curve.

    If I’d had a 4, I wouldn’t have gone for the 4S. But I had a 3G, it was out of contract, and the purchase was a no-brainer. If they launch an all singing, all dancing 5 next year, I’ll still skip it and get the 5S or 6.

    This release was for the 3G, 3GS owners and non-Apple owners. The next one will be for the 4 owners and the hangouts who still get by with their 3.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  5. Darren Says:
    November 18th, 2011 at 5:38 am

    I’m a 3GS owner and I’m waiting. On the plus side, my 3GS is faster since upgrading to iOS 5, still with untethered jailbreak goodness, so I’m happy.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0


  6. LK Says:
    November 18th, 2011 at 4:15 pm

    I need some advice. I currently have Sprint service in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and have a Samsung Moment (almost 2 years old). We have a family plan, although my spouse is no longer using their half because of switching to a Verizon BlackBerry for work purposes.

    We decided that we would give our daughter a phone for her 11th birthday in August 2012 and will give her my spouse’s phone number at that time. My spouse’s half of the contract is due for upgrade and has to be upgraded before the end of 2011. My half of the contract is eligible for upgrade but can be upgraded anytime in 2012. I really want to wait for the iPhone5/6 assuming it comes out in 2012.

    We’re thinking that we would use my spouse’s upgrade and get either the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S. I would use the phone until our daughter’s birthday and then use my upgrade in 2012 to get the iPhone 5/6. I’ve heard about all of the performance issues and battery issues with the iPhone 4S, but I also know that it’s faster. I’m not sure how much an 11-year-old would use Siri, so that’s not much of a factor.

    So the question after all this rambling….should we get the 4 or the 4S?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  7. Core2 Says:
    November 18th, 2011 at 4:27 pm

    If you are getting an iPhone, might as well get the newer one for resale value later.

    I am frustrated over the battery life, but there is a 5.0.2 coming out soon for hopefully address more battery issues.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  8. Richard Says:
    November 19th, 2011 at 12:00 am

    An 11 year old would bother Siri to distraction. Luckily she’s patient.

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