Poll Shows Decline in Interest Among Consumers Likely to Buy Latest iPhone

Results of a Morning Consult poll Monday said 68 percent of respondents who had heard of the next-generation iPhones said they're “unlikely to buy” when they become available Friday. Responses show “the buying public isn’t inspired by the tech giant’s presentation,” during last week’s launch, it said in an announcement. Just 21 percent of those familiar with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus said they’re likely to buy one, it said. Apple should be concerned about a “decline in interest” compared with that for the iPhone 6s, said the researcher. When the iPhone 6s released last year, 33 percent of respondents who had heard of that model’s rollout said they were likely to buy it vs. 63 percent who said they were unlikely to do so, said the report. On the loss of the headphone jack -- requiring owners to use wireless headphones or a dongle to connect wired headphones through the Lightning jack -- 21 percent said they’d be more likely to buy the phone as a result, and 19 percent said it makes them less likely to purchase, said the poll. Forty-one percent they’d be more likely to buy an iPhone 7 because of the improved camera, but the same percentage said it made no difference. Forty-seven percent said the water resistant feature makes them more likely to buy the new phone, but 36 percent said the feature didn’t affect their purchase plans. The iPhone 7 will be splash and water resistant, something 47 percent of respondents said would make their purchase more likely, while 36 percent said it makes no difference. The poll was done Sept. 6-8 among a national sample of 1,961 respondents with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.