New Marketing Trend Emerging Among Teens; Surface is 'Cool' & 'Apple is Done'

[dgstorm]

According to Buzz Marketing Group’s Tina Wells, teens have been telling them that the Microsoft Surface is cool and that it is no longer cool to own Apple. Here's a quote with some additional detail,

Popularity is always a double-edged sword with teenagers and according to the sentiment observed by Buzz, Apple is now too popular to be popular. Replacing iPhones and iPads as the object of teens’ desire is Microsoft’s (MSFT) Surface tablet and Galaxy smartphones from Samsung (005930).

“Teens are telling us Apple is done,” Buzz Marketing Group’s Tina Wells told Forbes. “Apple has done a great job of embracing Gen X and older [Millennials], but I don’t think they are connecting with Millennial kids. [They’re] all about Surface tablets/laptops and Galaxy.”

If the firm is indeed onto something, a negative trend in sentiment among teens could have a negative impact on Apple’s business in the short-term, but even more so in the long-term as today’s teens age and enter key buying demographics.

What do you guys think? Are you seeing this trend amongst people that you know?

Source: BGR

[J515OP]

I can believe it but I don't think it takes into account the power of an ecosystem. Particularly if a minor's parents have invested in a particular ecosystem. Braking the Apple bonds takes much more than a dip in desirability because of this factor which is not considered.

[ARosch]

What goes up must come down, and Apple is on its way down.

[bosamar]

I personally know people of all ages who own a Surface. 9 years old, teenagers, folks in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s (me), 60s, and even 70s. People are adopting it because it's a solid tablet for fun AND productivity.

[ArnoldC]

I would like to think it's a reality.

[bosamar]

I know several SoCal college students who love the Surface RT. They've told me why haul a 4-5 pound laptop to class when the RT is all you nee. I personally don't know the limitations of the Surface RT but in just ten minutes with those kids I learn a lot why this product is soooo much better.

[gpstrucker]

I don't actually know any teens personally, but it sounds right. I see a lot of younger people posting a lot of anti Apple stuff all over the web. I think the current college age crowd is going to be about the last to be totally sold on the iProducts.

I doubt that Apple will completely disappear, but a lot of people, myself included, are looking for alternatives to both iOS and Android, neither of which has fully satisfied me. I think MS has a real shot here if they play their cards right.

[ZachBui]

i feel the same, about being done with apple, and looking for alternatives. I'm happy I found the surface.

[Rallicat]

If it's true it would be great news for Microsoft, but what isn't clear from this news story is whether or not teens are actually buying the Surface (or indeed, whether their parents are buying them for their kids).

What Microsoft want, is to sell sell sell lots of Windows tablets. The Surface has a number of things going for it. It's a premium grade, desirable product that is -to coin a phrase- reassuringly expensive. That last part is a problem. Just as is the case with Apple gear, the product can't sustain popularity when it is engineered to such a higher standard than everyone else, that it becomes unaffordable for the masses, or -at the very least- looks more expensive on the shelf compared to the competition.

So, lets hope for teens this turns into a phenomenon that sees many more of them carrying a Surface, and lets also hope that for those who can't afford it, that they turn to one of the many other Windows-based tablets now hitting the market, and not into the waiting arms of Android.