Many Google searchers ask ‘Buy iPhone 13 or wait for 14’

I don’t really expect this kind of queueing though — this was the iPhone queue at NY Fifth Avenue in 2017

Apple will introduce iPhone 13, an Apple Watch, AirPods and more at a special event on September 14 and it people are manically using Google to find out about the upcoming device, with ‘Buy iPhone 13 or wait for 14’ one of the bigger questions asked.

Google search is peaking

Data from case maker, Burga claims interest in the keyword ‘Buy iPhone 13’ hit peak popularity with a score of 100 on the Google Search platform by the week ending September 11, 2021.

That’s up quite considerably on the preceeding weeks. By the week ending September 4, the interest recorded a score of 61. Between the week ending August 28 and September 11, the interest has soared 40%.

Burga hasn’t described the methodology it used to determine these results, so one must take the claims with a certain amount of scepticism. But they feel about right, and it is amusing to see so many people are asking if they should buy 13 or wait on 14 that this has become a suggested Google question.

The national interest

The data claims some interesting insights into national difference. Ireland is leading in the iPhone 13 interest with a popularity score of 100, followed by Australia at 88. Interestingly, Canada ranks third at 76 followed by Nigeria at 71 while the United States is in the fifth spot at 56.

Other countries that recorded high interest in ‘Buy iPhone 13’ include UAE (49), United Kingdom (44), New Zealand (42), Singapore (35), and Philipines (32).

Should I or shouldn’t I?

‘Buy iPhone 13 or wait for 14?’

Right now, Google’s biggest ‘Buy iPhone 13’ query asks for help deciding whether to purchase an iPhone 13 or wait for an iPhone 14. This is a really simple question to answer. Assuming money is no object (and at these prices it probably should be) you can do it in five smaller questions:

First, ask if you need an iPhone now.

• If you do, then get an iPhone 13.
• If you don’t, then you can think about waiting to upgrade.

Second, are you part of the iPhone Upgrade Scheme?

If you are, then you might as well upgrade as you are paying to be able to, even if you are using a relatively new device. Unless you want to run it to full term so you can hand the hardware to a family member and upgrade yourself.

Third, do you need a new iPhone?

As a rule of thumb, I think anyone running an iPhone 6-8, or perhaps an iPhone X may benefit from the upgrade, but only the iPhone 6 and 6S really need replacing. Other models may be a little slower, but you’ll still get to use many of the upcoming iOS 15 features. If you make a huge amount of use of your device and your existing model is getting in the way, then you’ll need to upgrade.

Fourth, why do you want a new iPhone?

If you want a faster device with a far better display, improved 5G connectivity, better battery life and an ultra-wide camera with much improved support for portrait shots, then iPhone 13 is for you.

On the other hand, if you want under display touch ID, a smaller notch or a device to capture video in 8K, then you should wait for iPhone 14, as those features are already anticipated then.

Fifth, toughen up:

The truth is that whenever you purchase any Apple product you’re usually going to see a new version of that product turn up soon after. My wonderful little Mac mini M1 I’m writing this on will apparently be replaced this October. The iPhone we buy in Q4 will inevitably be replaced in 2022.

This is the way of the tech world.

Once you accept this it hopefully becomes clear that (while today is a really bad day to purchase a new iPhone, given new models are likely tomorrow), the best time to buy an iPhone is when you want to do so.

Every model is better than the model that went before.

And If there’s a silver lining to this risk it is that iPhones hang onto their value longer than any other smartphone. Which means you’ll usually get a nice chunk of your money back selling the old unit whenever the time comes to buy.

Hope this helps answer the question. Rest assured that if I win the lottery by pre-order time (unlikely) I’ll be shopping for one, even though my current phone is just one year old.

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