Report: Apple Owns Generation Z - 83% Have an iPhone

83 percent of high school students reportedly own an Apple iPhone.

According to analyst Michael Olson, “Apple’s share of smartphone ownership was up slightly in the Piper Jaffray Taking Stock With Teens survey. Of ~8,000 respondents, 83% have an iPhone, the highest percentage we have seen in our survey.”

“The iPhone may have room to move higher, however, with 86% of teens anticipating their next phone to be an iPhone, tied for the highest ever in our survey (flat from Fall-18),” Olson reported, adding that the second most popular phone choice, Google’s Android, was used by just 9% of students, “down from 10% in the fall.”

Apple also reportedly held the highest spot for smartwatches, with 20 percent of students using the Apple Watch and just 2 percent using the Samsung Gear.

The Apple Watch was the top smartwatch among teens, garnering 20% share, with the Samsung Gear next on the list at 2%. 22% of teens plan to purchase an Apple Watch in the next six months, down slightly from 23% in the fall. Overall, we view the survey data as a sign that Apple’s place as the dominant device brand among teens remains well intact.

In a blog post, writer and former TIME magazine Science Editor Philip Elmer-DeWitt noted, however, “Like earlier efforts, Piper Jaffray’s 37th semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens survey seems skewed toward teens with money to spend ($2,600 per year, on average).”

A Piper Jaffray survey late last year revealed that 82 percent of American teenagers owned an iPhone at the time — 1 percent less than the most recent number.

In January, the Wall Street Journal published an article questioning whether the iPhone is becoming obsolete, like the Walkman and Polaroid camera, and sales of the iPhone have reportedly been in decline — prompting Apple to focus on other areas of its business.

A 2018 research paper indicated that the iPhone has become the most common “status symbol of wealth.”