Ask any teenager a few years ago what one possession would boost their cool status, and you'd probably expect them to say 22-inch rims or an ear-bursting 3,000-watt car stereo. Oh how times have changed. CNW Marketing Research asked teens what they most wanted, and cars were actually way down the list.
Turns out, if you wanna be cool in 2007, personal transportation won't make it happen. No, only 20% of the survey's respondents said a car would impress their friends, down from 35% in 2000.
In 2007, it takes a different kind of mobility to boost cool. Mobile phones were the top desired possession among 16-29 year olds, with 32% saying one would impress their friends. Make it an iPhone, and, according to the researchers, that number almost doubles to 70%.
Other things more desirable than new cars were game systems, iPods, shoes and computers.
Oh, by the way. This post was written on an iPhone. On yeah. Autoblog is SO cool.
BTW - while doing this post we discovered more proof that someone at Apple reads Autoblog. If you begin typing "autoblog" in Notes, Email or SMS, the iPhone's internal dictionary will auto-finish the word for you and capitalize it. Thanks Steve! Photo after the jump.
[Source: CNW Marketing Research via Kicking Tires]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
cappuccino @ Jul 6th 2007 2:46PM
iPhone....I do not see the point of getting one.
foo @ Jul 6th 2007 2:50PM
some embrass tehnology some dont. Some still hold the phone to their head when their car is equipped w/ BT handsfree.
what's a guy to do.
PuffyC @ Jul 9th 2007 11:54AM
The survey just asked which would impress your friends more, "a car" (didn't say what kind of car) or an iPod. Most teenagers have "a car" so why would that be impressive? When you're a teen, what's impressive is having something your friends don't, e.g. overpriced sneakers and overpriced gadgets. Teenagers are all about image, fashion and what their friends think about them so it's just natural they'd be on the iPod bandwagon.
fizzandpop @ Jul 6th 2007 2:47PM
Teens are dorks.
Don @ Jul 6th 2007 6:21PM
No, teens are just stupid and lazy these days...a phone over a CAR! Geeze.
snazzum @ Jul 7th 2007 8:00AM
i love how all you old farts are shaking your fists at "these darn kids nowadays..." yea yea, when you were my age you had to walk uphill in the snow, both ways. there was no i-anything and you had to change out the vacuum tubes just to listen to American Bandstand or whatever. for all you geriatrics out there, let me break it down to you... simple economics. iPhones = novel, beautiful, rare (=cool). new cars = commodity. (maybe it'd be different if your new car was something like a bugatti or a bentley.) new mustangs, mazda3's, jettas - all a dime a dozen in a high school lot. unless your fam's dirt poor, what teen can't get a decent set of wheels nowadays? a new car just isn't that impressive anymore - get used to it. now go sip lemonade on your porch outside and yell at all the kids walking on your grass.
O-State @ Jul 7th 2007 9:02PM
@ snazzum
Ya, I guess iPhones are pretty sweet cuz theyre "rare".
/sold ~ half a million the first weekend.
//what a rarity.
Apple Guy @ Jul 6th 2007 2:49PM
Lol, people at apple do read autoblog. Ya know why I know this? I found autoblog thanks to apple. They had a list of RSS feeds built into their Safari browser, and I was cruising through them....
...And I've been coming here daily ever since!
Alex Nunez @ Jul 6th 2007 2:49PM
Dumb teens. Have fun taking out a date in an iPhone...
Don @ Jul 6th 2007 6:24PM
Youth is wasted on the young.
robert @ Jul 7th 2007 11:32AM
But a iPhone might get them the date in the first place, where the car might not these days. Besides Young people are much more concerned with the enviorment these days than us old farts. so they are much more willing to take the bus, or walk, or hang out near where they live.. So a iPhone is defiantly more valuable, besides who can afford gas for a car these days?
Devon @ Jul 6th 2007 2:50PM
What's this world coming to.
When I was a teen (wasn't that long ago) a car meant freedom.
It meant I could leave the confines of my neighborhood and explore the world (translation: Chicago metro area)
Nowadays kids just sit on their lazy a**es and play video games and text message.
cappuccino @ Jul 6th 2007 2:51PM
obviously they think they have all the freedom in the world just by purchasing an iPhone..how sad...
angrypirate @ Jul 7th 2007 2:06AM
As a 19 year old myself, I love technology as much as the next guy. But I've been with quite a few women who love the sound of my Mustang's V8, and who could care less about some phone.
It's all about preference, I guess. To each his own.
Don @ Jul 6th 2007 6:26PM
Trying enjoying a movie these days without some teen's phone going off becaues they can't BEAR to turn it off.
Fatima @ Jul 6th 2007 2:50PM
I am typing this from my iPhone too!
Dinger @ Jul 6th 2007 3:06PM
ARG! I'm waiting for Tiger (OSX 10.4) to show up in the mail so I can install iTunes 7.3 on my ancient G3 iBook. I should have paid for the next day mail.
Viv @ Jul 6th 2007 2:52PM
I was a teen two years ago and i don't know where these people found subject for their research. I can think of a million things i want before an Iphone. Good god what is the world coming to.
cappuccino @ Jul 6th 2007 2:52PM
I do understand you..but I'd rather
have a blackberry instead.
20GB of music....do you listen to them all?
RACER X @ Jul 6th 2007 3:29PM
I've got about 19 GB of music on my computer, and yes I do listen to it all at some time or another.
Some people love music. Some people don't.