$200 Price Drop Increases Demand Among College Students

Research firm SurveyU claims that Apple's decision to drop the iPhone's price by US$200 to $399 has dramaticaly increased demand for the device among college students in the US. The firm has been steadily tracking the feelings of students about the iPhone since May. Interestingly, their research detected that the price of the product became a factor in the decision making process for an increasing number of college students, going from 80% in June, July and August to 90%.

"College students have seen how the iPhone performs and with this reduction, sales among college students will see a solid bump with an even bigger jump upon the next release," said Dan Coates, co-founder of SurveyU.

Interestingly, their surveys indicated that by and large, the students polled (previous to the $100 credit announcement) who had adopted the iPhone early on were not bitter about the drop in price.

"Using a five point scales wherein students indicated their agreement with two, diametrically opposed statements, non-purchasers tended slightly toward supporting Apple and their decision while purchasers tended only slightly towards reprimanding Apple for the sudden and dramatic price shift," said the company.

SurveyU claims that the most dramatic increase seen from the buying trends of students planning to or considering purchasing the iPhone was seen in those who planned to purchase one when their current contract expires. The number of students who said they would most likely buy the iPhone upon the expiration of their current contract increased from 4% in August to 11% after the announcement.

The number of students planning to get one in the next few months doubled from 2% to 8%, and those who expressed "immediate intent" to buy the device increased from 0 to 0.5%.

[via Macworld UK]