Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster suggests interest in the iPhone remains strong and he points to a small survey of 216 mobile phone owners in Minneapolis that shows 64% will buy an iPhone as their next handset. 67% of BlackBerry owners were going to switch to an iPhone next with only 26% sticking with RIM and by contrast, 94% of iPhone owners were going to get an Apple handset again, while 42% of Android owners would be continuing with the OS for their next phone…………….
Although we don’t know exactly when Apple will release the iPhone 5, one feature of the next-gen handset is clear and the pent-up demand could double Apple’s smartphone marketshare. Surveying a sampling of 216 mobile phone users, Munster found huge demand for the iPhone 5 among both current iPhone users and those who own other smartphones. Looking at all those surveyed, 29 percent currently own iPhones and 17 percent have an Android phone, leaving 28 percent with a BlackBerry and the rest with other types of phones. Among existing iPhone owners, 94 percent of those surveyed expect to buy another iPhone, leaving only 6 percent eyeing an Android device. But among current Android smartphone users, 42 percent said they’re likely to switch to the iPhone. Among Verizon subscribers in general who don’t presently own an iPhone, 55 percent expect to buy one, with 74 percent specifically waiting for the iPhone 5. That number compares with 53 percent of AT&T customers specifically awaiting the next model iPhone. Of all the respondents, 64 percent plan to pick up an iPhone when it’s time to buy a new phone. Further, 60 percent are waiting for the iPhone 5 as opposed to allowing their contract to expire or their current phone to break down. Though the survey targeted only a small number of mobile phone users, it does highlight a demand build-up for the next iPhone. Such demand is due in large part to the longer wait time (14 months assuming the iPhone 5 debuts in September versus the usual 12-month cycle), according to Munster. In light of the demand, Munster believes the iPhone 5 may push Verizon‘s numbers even higher than the 3.8 million iPhones that Piper Jaffray is estimating the carrier will sell in the September quarter.
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