Wednesday brought the unveiling of the iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2, and while millions of people will frantically click refresh to place a pre-order and wait in line to get the device, one analysis suggests most people aren’t all that excited about Apple’s latest devices.
The research comes from Unanimous A.I., an artificial intelligence company that created a platform—called Unu—to measure the sentiments and insight of users in real time. The polls, called swarms, produce predictions and insights around specific topics.
In asking groups of Apple enthusiasts and consumers questions about the upcoming event, researchers found that users are wary of the devices, in part because of rumors that circulated about the iPhone 7.
In a swarm that asked users how good of an idea it is for Apple to eliminate the headphone jack on its new device and instead move to wireless earbuds and Lightning port compatible headphones, Unanimous A.I. found users to rate the idea one out of five stars and claimed it made the device less appealing.
In a separate swarm run by the company for the Daily Dot, the researchers found similar results as a group of 35 participants quickly decided the decision to go wireless with headphones was a bad one.
Unanimous A.I.
Despite the nearly unanimous panning of the very concept, Unanimous A.I. still found that the majority of the consumers in its swarm would be interested in checking out Apple’s bluetooth connected AirPods.
Researchers described the sentiment of users as having “strong interest” in the wireless headphones—though they didn’t find Beats-branded bluetooth headphones to be all that appealing.
What those consumers are not planning to check out, however, is the Apple Watch. Despite a refresh to Apple’s smartwatch, participants on Unu quickly claimed to have no interest in it. The iPhone 7 remains the most anticipated product of the event, despite any hangups.
That’s perhaps not surprising; despite the Apple Watch being the best selling of all smartwatches—and accounting for over 50 percent of smartwatch sales in 2015—it’s still believed the device has fallen well below the company’s goals.
Perhaps the most damning finding from Unanimous A.I. was the general opinion of Apple under Tim Cook’s command. Swarm participants suggested the company has been missing some of its luster since losing Steve Jobs, with the majority of users saying Apple products “seem have lost a step.”
Despite the belief that Apple isn’t as creative as it once was, when asked to name the company that leads the smartphone market in innovation, consumers on Unu still pointed to Apple.
All in all, it seems as though not much has changed; the company announces a new device, everyone second guesses the decisions, and then rushes out to buy the products anyway.
Just how much should you trust the analysis from Unu? Well, they’ve proven pretty accurate in the past on Apple predictions. Last year, users projected Apple’s share of the streaming service market would sit at 19.5 percent. An analysis in May 2016 found it was at about 20 percent, which is impressive.
