Do People Prefer Their Older Smartphones?

A recent article from the Associated Press discussed the trend of smartphone use in the United States and how some people prefer their older phones.

Whether it's the fact that people don't want to spend the hundreds of dollars on a new phone or they don't want their lives to be consumed by looking at a screen, there is a growing minority of people that have shunned the notion of upgrading to the newest smartphone every two years.

Regarding this trend, AP's Mae Anderson wrote, "Every customer counts these days. Overall smartphone sales are slowing down — particularly in industrialized markets such as the U.S., where most people who want a smartphone already have one. IDC forecasts a 10 percent increase in worldwide smartphone sales this year, but that's slowed considerably from 27 percent growth in 2014."

Related Link: Smartphone Ownership To Hit Nearly 70% In The Next Three Years

Companies such as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) have started programs that allow customers to lease new iPhone models every year, hoping to implant the idea that it's okay to upgrade your phone every year. Furthermore, manufacturers are doing their best to pack as much technology into phones as possible, with features such as a better camera and screen sensors that can identify the owner with a fingerprint.

However, these tactics have not won over every customer. Kelsey Scott, a 25-year-old professional from Hutchinson Kansas, told the AP, "I think it's a little ridiculous to give up a perfectly good phone for a new one that is only slightly different."