By Ayo Adeyemi
It is no surprise that after trailing behind Apple for the majority of the past decade, Microsoft at the close of market on Friday, becomes the world’s most valuable publicly traded company.
The tech giant’s stock (MSFT) closed at $338.47 a share, and a market capitalization of $2.89 trillion. It attracted investors with its race to monetize generative AI, following its tie-up with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.
Apple is starting the year amid concerns about dwindling demands. It was 0.3% lower with a market capitalization of $2.887 trillion – the first time since 2021 that its valuation has fallen below that of Microsoft.
iPhone, Apple’s biggest cash cow, is suffering a series of rating downgrades that is weakening demand, especially in major market China, according to brokerage Redburn Atlantic, as Chinese tech giant, Huawei Technologies, Samsung, and Sino-U.S. tensions that have increased pressure on Apple.
Further, Apple’s smartphone market in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa saw its worst performance in six years in 2020, but it managed to grow its market share in EMEA by 10% throughout 2020, holding 15.4% of the EMEA market, compared to 13.4% in 2019.
Apple Dominates Teen Purchasing Preferences
According to a recent survey by investment firm Piper Sandler, Apple devices and services continue to dominate teen purchasing preferences in the United States. The report states that 87% of surveyed teens in the United States own an iPhone, and 87% expect their next smartphone to be an iPhone.
In addition, 72% of teens already own AirPods, while owning Apple Watch continues to excite 37% of teens.
Apple has gradually climbed up the list of the most popular watch brands among upper-income teens, reaching the milestone of taking the top spot from Rolex in the fall of last year. Apple Pay is still the most popular payment service among teens in the United States, capturing 23% of the mobile payments market, well ahead of Venmo, Cash App, and PayPal.
Millennials form a significant part of Apple’s consumer base. Their affinity for technology, coupled with their willingness to invest in quality products, make them a prime target. Apple is also targeting the mostly youthful and non-English speaking populations within emerging markets to future-proof its services footprint and accelerate the development of local content.
Do Apple Products Have Good Second-Hand Value?
Apple products generally have a strong second-hand value. If you are looking to sell your Apple device, you can use Mac2Sell to estimate the fair price for your second-hand Apple product. You can also sell your Apple products for top dollar at SellYourMac.com. Apple also offers certified refurbished products on their website, which are tested, cleaned, and guaranteed with a one-year warranty. There also local online markets like jiji.ng where the sale of iPhone products is booming.
Refurbished Versus Used Apple Products
Refurbished and used Apple products are two different categories of products. Refurbished Apple devices are units formerly used as display model or returned shortly after the sale, or swapped in for a newer model. The product item is given a new lease of life, when a new battery is fixed in or other components are replaced, and a fresh warranty is added to the product.
On the other hand, used or pre-owned Apple devices often come from an individual who will sell the device “as is”, without warranty. They may sell it through an intermediary site.
If you are looking to sell your Apple device, you can use Mac2Sell to estimate the fair price for your second-hand Apple product. You can also sell your Apple products for top dollar at SellYourMac.com. Apple also offers certified refurbished products on their website, which are tested, cleaned, and guaranteed with a one-year warranty.
iPhone device use is gaining popularity among in Nigeria and is being touted as a marker of wealth and class. Among Nigeria’s 170 million mobile subscriptions, less than 10% of the population currently uses an iphone. Bulk of Nigeria’s mobile phone subscribers, about 85%, use Android devices.
Android devices are way cheaper to buy, use and maintain compared to iPhone devices. Although, bulk of iPhones in Nigerian markets are pre-owned, the costs could range between 6 to 12 months the minimum wage of an average worker, when a brand-new iPhone device could be top 24-36 months pay-packet of some workers, depending on the model. Android phones, majority which are chinese brands, are more affordable.