Jobs’ Departure Hasn’t Quelled Demand for Apple Products

Steve Jobs’ departure as CEO of Apple is having little effect on the clamor for iPads and iPhones, according to survey by ChangeWave Research.

Jobs’ reputation for attention to detail and his intimate involvement with the creation of Apple products were notorious traits. However, only 4 percent of the nearly 2,300 consumers surveyed by ChangeWave Research in the last week said the resignation makes them less likely to buy Apple products in the future. Further, 89 percent of respondents said the news has had no effect on their purchasing of Apple products.

ChangeWave has been asking this question in surveys for a few years now, and the impact that consumers say a Jobs’ exit from the company would have on their buying habits when it comes to Apple products has been steadily declining. In June 2008, 18 percent of respondents said it would make them less likely to buy Apple products in the future. That number declined to 14 percent just three months later, 7 percent in 2009, and now all the way down to 4 percent.

“The results suggest that Jobs’ previous absences have had an ‘inoculating’ effect that over time has allayed consumer concerns on whether the company could operate at the same level without Steve Jobs at the helm,” ChangeWave said about the findings.

The firm also points to two other surveys that show strong demand for the iPad, with 80 percent of companies saying it is their tablet of choice for their employees and 85 percent of consumers choosing the iPad over other tablets. The iPad also has more satisfied customers, with 70 percent of owners surveyed describing themselves as “very satisfied” versus only 42 percent of other tablet owners.

Similar demand is being seen for the iPhone. One analyst has described the anticipation of the iPhone 5 as “unprecedented.” The new iPhone is expected to launch in the fall. No word for sure on whether Jobs, who is still Apple’s chairman of the board, will be doing the unveiling this time around.