STUDY: Are we all under too much pressure to buy the latest Apple products?

There’s a big (and hopefully exciting) Apple event scheduled into the tech calendar next week, which every fan boy and girl is hoping will be the highly anticipated unveiling of the iPad 3. But, just a year after the last model was released, is it all happening a little too soon?

A recent study, commissioned by discount website MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, explored our attitudes to Apple and all of its iProducts. The research interestingly found that 78% of British consumers think the tech giant releases updates to its popular models far too frequently.

However, it seems the issue isn’t with Apple itself, after all we love its new, shiny gadgets, but it’s the price we end up paying to stay ahead of the curve. 42% of respondents said they felt under pressure to keep up with the new generation of Apple products, which is hardly surprising. But more worryingly a third of consumers admitted they found themselves in debt after purchasing an Apple product, with 29% saying they bought an Apple gadget using a credit card and 6% admitting they’d actually taken a loan out to afford one in the past. Ouch.

This may not be good news for our bank balances and social lives, but the allure of Apple is clearly stronger than ever and we’re sure we won’t be the only ones high-fiving the overenthusiastic employees from the front of the queue when (or if) the iPad 3 is launched in the next few months.

The survey questioned 1,518 respondents and was commissioned by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk.

[Image via Yutaka Tsutano]