Date post: | 21-Jul-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | kate-glazko |
View: | 75 times |
Download: | 2 times |
Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary .............................................. 2
II. Introduction .......................................................... 3
III. Research Methods ................................................. 7
IV. Results .................................................................. 13
V. Limitations ........................................................... 19
VI. Conclusion and Recommendations .................... 20
VII. Appendix A: Relevant Links ............................... 22
VIII. Appendix B: Complete Distributed Apple Watch Survey ....................................................... 22
IX. Appendix C: Statistical Test Results ................... 25
X. Works Cited ......................................................... 28
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 2
Executive Summary
USC students were asked to participate in a survey regarding the upcoming Apple Watch.
Individuals were selected in accordance to a determined quota intended to represent the
overall USC population. Individuals were asked questions regarding their existing usage of
Apple products, the features of the Apple Watch that they considered to be important,
preferences regarding the various Apple Watch lines, and their likelihood in purchasing an
Apple Watch. A total of 38 valid responses were received from a total of 76 attempts to
distribute the surveys to USC students.
The results from the survey are summarized below:
• The majority of students surveyed expressed a likeliness in purchasing the Apple Watch
after its spring 2015 release.
• The most popular line of Apple Watch for USC students surveyed was the Apple
Watch Sport.
• The most important features of the Apple Watch was the ability to send/receive
messages and phone calls and the fitness tracking functionality.
• Existing ownership and active use of an Apple product did not show to be related to
the likeliness of a student to purchase an Apple Watch.
Note: The complete survey questionnaire is included in Appendix B for reference.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 3
Introduction
Background Information Wearables are a quickly evolving new category within the personal technology
industry. In 2014, some 22% of consumers reported purchasing a wearable electronic
device, a noticeable contrast from the historically low ownership of wearable electronics
(Mintel 2014). Stores such as Best Buy and Target have even dedicated special floor spaces
to house electronic wearables such as the Nike Fuelband, Jawbone UP, and Fitbit. The
demand for fitness bands and wearables has begun to fuel a booming industry of $238
million dollars per year (NPD Group 2014). Despite the growth, a concrete prototype for
wearables as a category has not yet been defined. Contenders such as the Pebble, a smart
watch that allows for the relay of text messages and phone calls on the device (Gartner
2014), and Fitbit, a device that tracks your steps and sleeping patterns, both have
developed a steadily growing following (Analyst 2014). However, both devices are
committed to their respective functionality: Pebble, a communication device, and Fitbit, a
fitness device. No company had successfully previously attempted to achieve maximum
functionality within a single wearable device. And then in October 2014, Apple announced
the release of a new product: the Apple Watch.
When Apple announced their new wearable device, many speculated that the Apple
watch could take the lead as the prototype of the wearables category as Apple promised to
combine both the communications aspects and health functionality into one device sold in
three distinctive appearances (ABI Research 2014). The device would be compatible with
the existing iOS ecosystem, allowing for functionality such as being able to view and
respond to text messages and phone calls on the Apple Watch device and sharing collected
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 4
health data such as heart rate and number of steps walked with a companion iPhone app.
The Apple Watch also brings features not currently integrated into the existing competitors
Fitbit and Pebble- such as a full-color touch screen allowing for more robust interaction
with the device, mobile payments capability through Apple Pay, and a walkie-talkie/voice
messaging functionality (Apple 2014).
Market predictions for the Apple Watch show that an expected number of 30
million to 50 million units to be sold within a twelve month period of the Spring 2015
release (JP Morgan 2014).
The Apple Watch is set to debut in three distinct lines: the Watch, the Sport, and
the Edition. While all three of the watches possess the same internal functionality, their
exterior designs vary. For instance, the Sport boasts a durable, anodized silver exterior with
a high-performance fluoroelastomer wrist band, while the Edition sports watches crafted
from 18-K gold with a variety of options bands. These aesthetic differences serve to cater
individuals who live a variety of lifestyles and intend to use their bands for various reasons-
whether it be to express their fashionable side, or to keep track of their work out in the
gym.
Apple has had a historically high rate of penetration at the University of Southern
California. Figures released by the Apple Campus Rep from 2012-2013 showed that nearly
82% of the student body owned an Apple personal computer instead of a P.C. And while
the exact figure is not released, more than 50% of the students on campus own an iPhone
4 or higher (Campus Rep 2013). The USC Bookstore also has a partnership with Apple,
which includes two dedicated floor spaces for displaying Apple products. The USC
Bookstore carries Apple computers, iPads, iPods, and accessories and does not currently
carry phones despite exhibited demand. It is not currently known whether the Apple
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 5
Watch will be carried at the USC Bookstore, but it is known that product endorsement by
the USC Bookstore significantly increases the sales of Apple products at USC (USC
Bookstores 2013).
Research Objectives This research investigates the attitudes and perceptions of the Apple Watch
amongst students at the University of Southern California. Students at the University of
Southern California have historically been proven to embrace Apple technologies, with
82% of computer-owning USC students opting to own an Apple computer. Therefore, the
investigation of attitudes and perceptions of the Apple Watch at USC may vary from that
of other consumers- however, USC students represent a wide range of demographics with
more than 60% of USC students receiving some kind of financial aid, and the school
having the second largest international student population of U.S. universities.
As the Apple Watch is a relatively new product, and Apple does not publish results
of their marketing research, there is currently very little information regarding the
perceptions and attitudes of individuals towards the Apple Watch- and certainly no
information regarding student attitudes towards the Apple Watch at USC. The purpose of
this research report is to:
• Explore the overall perceptions and attitudes of USC students towards the Apple
Watch.
• Attempt to determine which of the three different lines of Apple Watches is most
appealing to USC students.
• Attempt to determine which features of the Apple Watch (overall and per line) are
the most appealing to USC students.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 6
If the prior is examined, it will provide some insights as to the attitudes and
perceptions surrounding the device and allow us to draw insights on the device’s relative
success on the USC campus. While USC students do not represent the entire customer
base for the Apple Watch, they have proven to be loyal to Apple products with Apple
holding a majority share of personal computing devices at USC, and they fall within the
trend-setting millenials demographic which Apple continuously targets with their marketing
campaigns.
Hypothesis It is believed that since USC students have historically embraced Apple products,
they will have a positive perception of the Apple Watch and will have some purchasing
interest. It is hypothesized that a majority of students surveyed will be owners and active
users of Apple products, and because of this, will be more likely to be interested in
purchasing the Apple Watch in the future.
As penetration for fitness bands has been rising significantly in the last years, it is
hypothesized that USC students will be drawn to the Sport line of Apple watches due to its
positioning as a fitness product.
It is also hypothesized that the most important feature of the Apple Watch to USC
students will be the ability to integrate the Apple Watch with their existing iOS devices, as
well as the ultimate “coolness factor” that Apple devices possess. These features are
expected to be more important than other features including fitness tracking, call/message
receiving and responding, innovative hardware, and aesthetic appearance.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 7
Research Methods
Research Design The design of the research study is classified as descriptive research. Surveys are
distributed to USC students to determine interest in the Apple Watch, interest in particular
functionalities and features of the Apple Watch, and interest in a particular line of the
Apple Watch. The descriptive research design is appropriate because it aligns with the
research objectives for this project (please see Introduction: Research Objectives) and
allows us to answer them through data collection and survey.
The descriptive design type for this study is a cross-sectional study. Since the
research objectives include being able to catch the existing attitudes that USC students
have towards the Apple Watch, the cross-sectional study was sufficient because it sampled
the population of USC students once to collect their attitudes and opinions. It would not
be appropriate to use a longitudinal study in this case as time to complete the research (by
December 16th, 2014) is not sufficient, and the upcoming release of the Apple Watch in
spring 2014 will provide information in itself as to whether students at USC have chosen to
purchase the Apple Watch or not.
Survey Design In order to address the research objectives, the survey was designed to be
distributed to the average USC student. Questions about attending the University of
Southern California were not included as a pre-requisite to being given the survey was
being an active and attending USC student. The purpose of the survey was to identify
students and their respective demographics (Male/Female, Race, Graduate
student/Undergraduate student) and determine the holistic attitudes of USC students
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 8
towards the Apple Watch. The survey contained nine questions and was broken into the
following categories:
• Introduction and Purpose: A statement of intent and background for the survey.
• Warm-up questions: Existing Apple products usage, Apple Watch awareness.
• Apple Watch Features questions: Rank and order Apple Watch features.
• Apple Watch Categories questions: Reveal attitudes towards the three Apple Watch
lines.
• Apple Watch Desire to Purchase: Reveal desire to purchase the Apple Watch, and
which line.
• Apple Watch Likeliness to Purchase: Reveal actual likeliness to purchase Apple
watch.
• Demographics: Race, Gender, Graduate/Undergraduate.
The entire survey can be viewed in Appendix B: The Complete Distributed Apple Watch
Survey.
Sampling Plan The survey was distributed as an in-person survey due to a large competition of
participation from other surveys and studies being distributed through social media at the
same time. The plan was to adequately capture the average distribution of the population
of USC students, including both undergraduate and graduate students. In order to
accomplish this, it was planned to distribute the surveys to a variety of student housing
known for housing both undergraduate and graduate students. The La Sorbonne housing
was used to sample graduate students, and Parkside Apartments which houses students in
all different years of undergraduate studies was used to sample undergraduates.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 9
A judgment sampling plan was used when deciding how to distribute the survey. In
order to be an accurate representation of the USC student population, the demographics of
the students surveyed needed to align with those of the general USC population:
• Gender: Female 50%, Male 50%
• Race: Caucasian 37%, Asian 23%, International 13%, Hispanic 13%, African
American 4%, Other 9%.
• Study: Undergraduate 44%, Graduate 54%
Sampling Procedure In order to implement the judgment sampling plan, a modified convenience sample
approach was taken where individuals entering the La Sorbonne and Parkside Apartments
dormitories would be approached as they entered the building and requested to take a
paper survey. Utilizing a judgment-convenience approach allowed for the survey
demographics to resemble the school demographics. The drawback with such an approach
is that reaching out to individuals who are in minority populations is much more difficult,
as there is fewer of them and thus less of an opportunity to receive a response. Therefore,
quotas were specified that required a certain amount of individuals to be from a certain
demographic. If an individual was not encountered during the survey distribution phase,
they would be reached out to later through a convenience survey. Such an approach took
place to ensure a response from the undergraduate, male, African-American segment.
The goal for the survey was to question 76 individuals, of which:
• 38 should be female and 38 should be male.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 10
• 28 Caucasian, 18 Asian, 10 International, 10 Hispanic, 3 African American, and 7
Other.
• 33 Undergraduate students, 43 Graduate students.
While it could not be guaranteed that these quotas would be met precisely due to the
potential for human error while sampling, the quotas provided the surveying team with
estimates of who exactly they should be distributing the survey to.
Data Collection The distribution of the surveys took place on December 2nd, 2014 and December 3rd,
2014 at 7:30 p.m., an hour at which many students were returning from or leaving to go get
dinner. This time was chosen as it was likely to result in a high amount of traffic in and out
of the selected housing options. Also, as it was in the evening time of the day, less students
were expected to be heading to class and thus were more likely to be of relaxed and
agreeable demeanor. Agreeable and relaxed subjects would be more likely to agree to
participate in the survey.
In order to perform the survey, clipboards with the survey and a writing utensil were
distributed to individuals who passed through the La Sorbonne and Parkside Apartments
student housing. Depending on the answers to certain questions, an iPad display
information about the Apple Watch from the Apple website would be distributed to survey
participators as necessary (Please see Appendix A: Relevant Links to view the distributed
materials). As mentioned in the previous section, the surveying team used judgment in
order to decide who to distribute a survey to. Survey participants were informed that the
20-question survey should not take more than five minutes and that it was critical that all
questions were answered during the survey. After the completion of the surveys,
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 11
individuals were thanked for their participation, and the paper surveys were collected and
saved for data analysis.
Measures An earlier discussion of the survey design was done in the sections above, however,
this section will further examine the types of questions asked, and the constructs that these
items intended to measure. Please note that a copy of the survey used has been included in
Appendix B: The Complete Distributed Apple Watch Survey.
1. Question: “Do you currently own an Apple product?” The question is a yes-or-no
question used to establish whether the individual is a current Apple owner.
2. Question: “How often do use Apple products?” The question then provides
intervals starting from “Never” to “Every day” that the individual is to select; this
question establishes what kind how active of a user the individual considers
themselves to be.
3. Question: “Are you aware of an upcoming Apple product called the Apple Watch?”
The question is a yes-or-no question used to establish familiarity with the Apple
Watch. If the respondent stated ‘No’, they would be handed an iPad with relevant
information relating to the Apple Watch.
4. Question: “Based on what you know about the Apple Watch, please assign a
number to each of the following features that represents its importance to you. All
of the numbers assigned to the features should add up to 100. If a feature does not
have any importance to you, please assign a 0 to the feature.” This question
analyzes the importance of various features of the Apple Watch by requiring the
individual to assign a value out of 100, with the sum of all the values to be equal to
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 12
100. In data analysis, this question provided a way to determine whether some
features were more important than others.
5. Question: “Are you familiar with the three different Apple watches lines: The
Watch, The Sport, and The Element?” This question is a yes-or-no question used
to establish familiarity with the Apple Watch. If the respondent stated ‘No’, they
would be handed an iPad with relevant information relating to the three different
lines of the Apple Watch.
6. Question: “Based on what you know about the three different Apple watch lines,
which line are you most likely to consider purchasing if you were to purchase an
Apple Watch?” This question simply requires the individual to select one of the
three different types of Apple Watches that they would consider purchasing.
7. Question: “How likely are you to actually purchase an Apple Watch when it
becomes available for purchase?” The question provides intervals from “Not Likely”
to “Very likely” that the individual is able to select; this question helps to establish
intent of purchase for individuals.
8. Question: “Please select your gender.” This question provides the options “Male”,
“Female”, and “Other”. Some USC students do not conform the existing gender
binary, and providing them with an “Other” option would ensure that the
respondents felt comfortable enough to complete the survey.
9. Question: “Please select a race.” This question provides the list of races specified in
the USC demographics section, and requires students to select one. As “Other” is
an option, individuals with mixed races or unlisted races can feel comfortable when
selecting a choice.
10. Question: “Please select a course of study.” This question allows a student to
express whether they are an undergraduate or a graduate student.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 13
Results
Initial Results Discussion (Pre-Data Analysis) Of the desired 76 participants, only 38 responses were collected and considered to
be fully usable. The respondents included 19 males and 19 females. There were 22 graduate
students and 16 undergraduate students. The racial distribution sampled included 14
Caucasians, 8 Asians, 5 International, 5 Hispanic, 2 African American, and 3 students
designated as other. Such a distribution follows a similar breakdown to the existing USC
Demographics figures, and thus makes it more likely that the sample served as an accurate
representation of the USC population.
The first item examined was whether or not individuals owned an Apple device.
No statistical analysis was done with this question; rather it was compared to the existing
figure of Apple computer ownership at USC to determine whether the survey had
accurately captured Apple ownership at USC. Of the 38 individuals questioned, 36
individuals owned Apple products. This figure, 94% ownership, seemed to be consistent
with the existing estimate that 82% of USC computer-owning students own a Mac- as
students also may own iPads, iPhones, and iPods in addition to or instead of a Mac
computer.
The second item helped to identify active Apple users. Of those surveyed, the
results were as follows:
• 28/38 of Apple owners identified themselves as active Apple users (using Apple
devices every day or every week). (73%)
• 6/38 were occasional users (every month). (16%)
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 14
• 2/38 were rare users (every year). (5%)
• 2/38 had stated that they never use Apple devices. (5%)
The third item revealed that 34 out of the 38 individuals questioned were familiar
with the Apple Watch. That means that only four individuals were given the supplementary
materials displayed on the iPad during this survey collection, and that the majority of the
survey takers were well-informed about the upcoming Apple Watch.
The fourth item asked users to give a rating to the provided traits of the Apple
Watch based on what individuals considered to be important, with all of the cumulative
ratings adding up to 100. The features included in the question were: Text Message/Call
View and Reply, Fitness Tracking (Heart Rate and Pedometer), iOS ecosystem integration,
Innovative hardware (Waterproof, touch screen, microphone), Physical Appearance of the
device (design aesthetic), and the “Coolness Factor”. The mean importance was the
following:
• Text Message/Call View and Reply: 36/100.
• Fitness Tracking: 30/100.
• iOS Ecosystem Integration: 12/100.
• Innovative hardware: 12/100.
• Physical Appearance: 10/100.
• “Coolness Factor”: 0/100.
The fifth item on the questionnaire asked whether the individual was aware of the
three different of Apple watches available. 21/38 students surveyed were aware of the
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 15
three separate product lines. The remaining 17 students were given an iPad with content
regarding the three different lines of Apple watches to read before continuing the survey.
The sixth item on the survey asked individuals to identify which Apple Watch type
they would purchase, if they were to consider purchasing an Apple Watch. The raw results
were as follows:
• Apple Watch: 8/38 (21%)
• Apple Watch Sport: 21/38 (55%)
• Apple Watch Element: 9/38 (24%)
The seventh item on the survey asked individuals to choose their likeliness to purchase
the Apple Watch upon the Apple Watch’s release in the spring of 2015. Of those surveyed,
the raw results were as follows:
• Very likely: 14/38 (37%)
• Somewhat likely: 10/38 (26%)
• Unsure: 5/38 (13%)
• Somewhat unlikely: 7/38 (18%)
• Very unlikely: 1/38 (3%)
The remaining questions in the survey, 8-10, were used to verify the demographics of
sample to ensure that they were representative of the overall USC population.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 16
Statistical Tests Statistical tests were performed to determine the following:
• A test to determine whether the features’ importance varied at a 5% significance
level from the assumption that all of the features are equally important (Chi Square
Goodness of Fit). An expected value of 16.666 (100/6) was used for each of the
features, and the degrees of freedom for the test was 37 (n-1, where n is the size of
the sample). The results of the Chi Square test (See Figure 1 in Appendix C:
Statistical Tests Results for more details) showed a chi-square value of 55.04 and a
p-value of < 0.001. The results of this test show that one can reject the null
hypothesis that all features of the Apple Watch are equally important to USC
students at a 5% significance level.
• A test to determine whether the preferences of USC Apple watch lines varied at a
5% significance level from the assumption that all of the Apple watch lines would
be equally preferred by USC students (Chi Square Goodness of Fit). An expected
value of 12.667 (38/3) was used as an expected value for each of the Apple watch
lines, and the degrees of freedom for the test was 37 (n-1, where n is the size of the
sample). The results of the Chi Square test (See Figure 2 in Appendix C: Statistical
Test Results for more details) showed a chi-square value of 8.26 and a p-value of
0.0161. The results of this test show that one can reject the hypothesis that all of
the Apple Watch lines are equally preferred by USC students at a 5% significance
level.
• A test to determine whether being an active user of an existing Apple device was
related to an individual being more likely to want to purchase an Apple Watch (Chi
Square Test for Independence) at a 5% significance level. The two categorical
variables compared consisted of whether an individual was an active user of an
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 17
Apple device (active Apple users in Question 2) versus non-active users of Apple
devices (Occasional, rare, and non-Apple users in Question 2) and whether an
individual was likely to purchase an Apple Watch device (Very likely and somewhat
likely in Question 7) versus not likely (Unsure, somewhat unlikely, very unlikely in
Question 7). The results of the Chi Square 2x2 test (See Figure 3 in Appendix C:
Statistical Test Results for a complete graphic illustrating the test) yielded a chi-
square value of 0.054 and a p-value of 0.816. Such a p-value is above the 5%
significance level, and thus indicates that one cannot reject the null hypothesis that
being an active user of an Apple device is not related to an individual being more
likely to want to purchase an Apple device.
Analysis
• 63% of the students surveyed claimed to be likely to purchase an Apple Watch
when it is released. This is a relatively high figure seeing as no existing models of
the Apple Watch have been released to Apple Stores, making such a decision to
purchase be based purely on existing information from Apple.
• 55% of students would be most likely to purchase the Apple Watch Sport, 24% are
likely to purchase the Apple Watch Element, and 21% are likely to purchase the
Apple Watch Sport. This does align with the hypothesis that USC students would
be most likely to purchase the Apple Watch Sport.
• The most important features of the Apple Watch were Text Messages/Call
view/reply with a mean of 36/100, and Fitness tracking with a mean of 30/100
importance. This does not align with the hypothesized idea that integration with
iOS and the “coolness factor” would be the most important features of the Apple
Watch to USC students.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 18
• A test to determine whether actively using an existing Apple product was related to
the likeliness to purchase an Apple watch in a future did not show any significance
at the 5% level, thus no relationship between owning an existing Apple product
and likeliness to purchase an Apple watch could be established. This defies the
conventional rationale that brand loyalty plays a factor in determining whether an
individual will decide to buy a product by the same company or not.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 19
Limitations
• The team size of the survey team was too small, and could only survey two
locations for the research. Therefore, the sample resulted in being smaller than
desired, only 38 individuals were interviewed instead of the desired 76.
• Online survey distribution was attempted initially, but failed, due to the survey
team’s lack of network. Less than 20 individuals volunteered to do the online
survey, and the individuals who volunteered to do the online survey did not
represent USC demographics accurately.
• Not all of the individuals surveyed were aware of the Apple Watch, and therefore
the previously described method of showing survey takers an iPad with
information regarding the Apple Watch was implemented. Introducing new
information to survey takers may have led to some introduced bias.
• Only one version of the survey was distributed, so any bias that may have been
introduced due to the order and structure of the survey was not eliminated.
• Statistical analysis did not go into the depth that it could have. Demographic
information including gender, race, and standing in school could have been
analyzed to determine whether they played a significant role in determining an
individual’s attitudes towards the Apple Watch. The size of the research team was
not large enough to accommodate this kind of analysis- additional manpower
would’ve allowed for more in-depth statistical analysis to occur.
• Sampling was not random. Unfortunately, the timeline of the project and the
limited ability for the team to receive responses meant that not enough responses
were collected to implement randomization.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 20
Conclusion and Recommendations
The study done on the Apple Watch at USC provided results that showed potential
for student interest in purchasing the Apple Watch, revealed the students’ perceived most
important features of the Apple Watch, and provided information on what line of the
Apple Watch students were most interested in purchasing. Like the hypothesis, the study
showed that the most preferred Apple Watch line for students was the Apple Watch Sport.
The hypothesis was wrong however about what the most important features of the Apple
Watch were for students, with the predicted iOS integration and coolness factor actually
being some of the least important features. The ability to receive and respond to text
messages and phone calls as well as the fitness functionality of the Apple Watch actually
proved to be the most important features. Surprisingly, the assumption that actively using
existing Apple devices would make students more likely to purchase an Apple Watch was
not supported by statistical tests. The overall perception of the Apple Watch based on the
existing sample appeared to be positive, with 63% of surveyed individuals claiming that
they were likely to purchase an Apple Watch,
In order to expand the conclusions within this survey to the general USC student
population, a secondary distribution of the survey with a larger team and a greater coverage
of USC housing areas would provide a larger sample, and a larger sample would likely
provide more accurate insights towards the general USC population. While the
demographics of this survey matched that of the overall USC demographics, important
factors such as socioeconomic status, school discipline, lifestyle, and more could have been
overlooked by only sampling two distinct dorm areas.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 21
Another area where this research could be expanded on would be to perform
further statistical tests on the existing data by demographic to determine what kinds of
impact an individual’s race, gender, and course of study has on an individual’s preferences
towards the Apple Watch.
The design of this study could have been performed as a longitudinal study if the
research objectives were modified to track student perceptions of the Apple Watch prior to
and after the release of the Apple Watch in spring 2015. Collecting information regarding
individuals’ preferences and desires towards a product could provide valuable information
to a company about how effective their marketing is at targeting various demographics
before a physical product exists, and how preferences change after a physical product exists.
A longitudinal study would allow a closer look at perceptions and expectations of
individuals regarding the Apple Watch- and whether or not those expectations were
fulfilled.
In conclusion, while the study performed provided adequate results both refuting
and supporting the hypothesis and demonstrating an overall positive perception of the
Apple Watch, there are many opportunities for follow-up and improvement regarding the
Apple Watch at USC. The topic was one that the students were interested in, and willingly
contributed time to. Due to the large nature of the USC student body, it is recommended
that further research be conducted with a larger team due to the difficulty of a small team
attempting to collect data to represent the population of USC students. The data collected
in this study can be useful for further analysis regarding to various sectors of the USC
population and their attitudes towards the Apple Watch as well.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 22
Appendix A: Relevant Links
Apple Watch Overview: http://www.apple.com/watch/
• Watch: http://www.apple.com/watch/apple-watch/
• Watch Sport: http://www.apple.com/watch/apple-watch-sport/
• Watch Edition: http://www.apple.com/watch/apple-watch-edition/
Appendix B: Complete Distributed Apple Watch
Survey
Apple Watch USC Student Survey We are conducting a survey to determine attitudes and perceptions of USC students
towards the Apple Watch. We thank you for taking the time and effort to complete this
survey.
Please complete every question of the survey, and follow the instructions carefully. This
survey should not take you more than 5 minutes to complete.
1. Do you currently own an Apple device?
☐ Yes ☐ No
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 23
2. How often do you use Apple products? (Please choose only one)
☐ Every day ☐ Every week ☐ Every month
☐ Every year or less ☐ Never
3. Are you aware of an upcoming Apple product called the Apple
Watch?
☐ Yes (Continue the
survery)
☐ No (Please notify
survey
administrator
before continuing)
4. Based on your existing knowledge of the Apple Watch, please
assign a value out of 100 to each feature below. Make sure that
the total sum allocated is not greater than 100. If a feature has no
importance, please assign a 0.
_____ Text Messaging and Voice View and Response.
_____ Innovative hardware.
_____ Fitness tracker capabilities.
_____ “Coolness Factor”.
_____ Integration with the iOS ecosystem.
_____ Aesthetic design and appearance of watch..
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 24
5. Are you familiar with the three different Apple watches lines: The
Watch, The Sport, and The Element?
☐ Yes (Please
continue the
survey).
☐ No (Please notify
survey
administrator
before
continuing).
6. Based on what you know about the three different Apple watch
lines, which line are you most likely to consider purchasing if you
were to purchase an Apple Watch?
7. How likely are you to actually purchase an Apple Watch when it
becomes available for purchase?
☐ Very likely ☐ Somewhat likely ☐ Unsure
☐ Somewhat unlikely ☐ Very unlikely
8. Please select your gender.
☐ Male ☐ Female
☐ Other
☐ Apple Watch. ☐ Apple Watch
Sport.
☐ Apple Watch
Edition.
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 25
9. Please select your race.
African American ☐
Asian ☐
Caucasian ☐
Hispanic ☐
International ☐
Other ☐
10. Please select your course of study.
☐ Undergraduate ☐ Graduate
Appendix C: Statistical Test Results
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 26
Figure 1: Chi Square Test for Goodness of Fit for Apple Watch features
Figure 2: Chi Square Test for Goodness for the three Apple Watch lines
Figure 3:
Chi
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 27
Square 2x2 Test for Independence for Active Use of Apple products in relation to
likeliness of purchasing an Apple Watch,
THE APPLE WATCH AT USC: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION - FALL 2014 28
Works Cited
"ABI Research: Apple Watch Will End Android's Smart Watch Dominance." FierceWirelessEurope. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. "Apple Watch." Apple. Apple, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. "Campus Rep Interview." Personal interview. 2013. Interview conducted by USC Campus Rep with Head of Marketing for Apple of Southern California Universities. "Cool Vendors in Wearable Electronics." Gartner, 2014. Web. "Mintel News." Measure Your Stress. Mintel, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. "NPD Group Analysis of Wearables." Mobihealthnews RSS. NPD Group, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. "Off the Cuff." Off the Cuff. Mintel, Aug. 2014. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. "USC Bookstore Apple Information." Telephone interview. 2013. An interview conducted by USC student of USC Bookstores interactions and successes working with the Apple Campus Rep. "Wearable Computing to the Rescue?" Analyst Reports. Mintel, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. Wolfe, Bryan M. "Morgan Stanley Expects Initial Apple Watch Sales to Top 30 Million." Business Insider. JP Morgan, 20 Nov. 2014. Web.