Apple Banking on the iPhone 6 to be a Plus with U.S. Hispanics

In true Apple fashion, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were announced too much fanfare on Tuesday.  The latest iPhones are not only larger, but packed with features that put the new offering from Apple on par with the latest smartphones on the market.

The launch of the new iPhone is critical for Apple, who derives the majority of their profits from iPhone sales.  Once the clear leader in the smartphone market, Apple has seen Google’s Android capture the top spot.  According to July 2014 data from comScore, Android leads the smartphone OS market with 51.5% followed by Apple at 42.5%.  In our work managing top U.S. Hispanic websites, we have also seen Apple’s mobile share decline with fewer website visitors coming from iPhones.

For Apple to keep hauling in profits from smartphones, it must win with U.S. Hispanics.

Hispanics are Voracious Mobile Users

Study after study has confirmed the same thing: U.S. Hispanics are super mobile users.  An August 2014 study by Nielsen indicates that a whopping 79% of U.S. Hispanics have smartphones vs. 70% of non-Hispanics.   Other studies have found that not only do more Hispanics have smartphones, they are also more likely to use them.  A May study by YuMe and Starcom compared the usage of smartphones by Hispanics versus the general population and found that:

• 60% of U.S. Hispanics accessed a social network on a smartphone vs. 43%
• 47% of U.S. Hispanics watched a video clip on a smartphone vs. 26%
• 22% of U.S. Hispanics made a financial transaction vs. 15%

U.S. Hispanics grab their smartphones for entertainment, but also for shopping and banking.  The same Nielsen study found that:

• 32% of U.S. Hispanics use their smartphones for shopping vs 25%
• 39% of U.S. Hispanics use their smartphones for banking vs 30%
• 20% of U.S. Hispanics scan barcodes on their smartphones vs 17%

Will Hispanics Gravitate to the iPhone 6?

According to The Verge, “The iPhone 6 and its bigger brother don’t blow the competition away based purely on specs. If the LG G3, Galaxy S5, or new Moto X were appealing to you yesterday, they probably still are today.”

That said, many of the features of the new iPhone 6 will resonate with Hispanics including the screen size and resolution.   The iPhone 6 Plus boasts the largest screen on the market at 5.5 inches and the highest resolution at 1920 x 1080.  For entertainment hungry Hispanics, this should be really appealing.  Then again, the new iPhones are not water or scratch resistant, features that would appeal to Hispanics who tend to have more young kids.  What’s more, the new iPhones are pricier than comparative products, a potential barrier for cost conscious U.S. Hispanics.

The iPhone 6 goes on sale on September 19th and Apple is hoping that U.S. Hispanics will line up to buy it and give them a plus in profits in return.