The release of the new iPhone model is a major event for Apple Inc. (ticker: AAPL) shareholders every year. According to Loup Ventures founder and Apple expert Gene Munster, this year’s model may be the most important iPhone for Apple shareholders in years.
This year’s iPhone 8 model will mark the 10-year anniversary of the original iPhone. A number of Apple analysts and enthusiasts believe Apple will pull out all the stops when it comes to the launch of what Munster is calling the “iPhone X.”
Loup Ventures recently conducted a survey of 234 current iPhone users and found that 23 percent of them intend to upgrade to the next iPhone. Muster says that number is much higher than the number of iPhone users that indicated they intended to upgrade to the iPhone 7 a year ago.
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“The higher intent to purchase the iPhone X likely also reflects the increasing popularity of the iPhone Upgrade Program,” Munster says “While it’s still early, interest in upgrading to the iPhone X appears to be meaningfully higher than upgrade interest was for the iPhone 7.”
Apple is notoriously secretive when it comes to revealing features ahead of a launch, and Munster warns investors that market sentiment may shift as the rumor mill comes into play in coming months.
One of the potential areas in which the next iPhone may make significant strides is augmented reality. Loup found 26 percent of the iPhone users surveyed are now interested in AR features compared to only 16 percent a year ago.
Not surprisingly, interest in iPhone AR technology was highest among the youngest users surveyed. More than a third (34 percent) of iPhone users aged 18-29 are looking for more AR iPhone features.
Loup also found interest in AR technology is slightly higher in men (29 percent) than women (23 percent).
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AR is a major long-term growth opportunity for Apple in the years ahead, Munster says.
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Latest Apple Inc. (AAPL) News: iPhone 8 Demand Looks to Be Huge originally appeared on usnews.com
