A survey by Harris Interactive of 1,116 adults aged 18-years or more across the US has shown a strong awareness of and interest in the iPhone. Apparently 47 percentof respondents were aware of the product, and 17 percent expressed interest in buying it. Of those 17 percent 9 percent plan to buy an iPhone on the day it is launched and 8 percent would buy one before their current contract expires. That equates to about 2.89 percent of adult mobile users in the US with reasonably clear plans to buy an iPhone in the near future…which falls short of Apple’s target of 10 million phones sold in the first year after launch. The survey also found that of the 17 percent interested in buying an iPhone, about 17 percent say they would wait for their current wireless contract to expire before purchasing one and 25 percent would purchase it if it’s launched on their carriers. Also, 40 percent of potential buyers intend to wait for the price to come down. 37 percent of respondents thought that the high storage was the hottest feature of the iPhone.
Joseph Porus, Vice President of Harris Interactive’s Technology Practice said that “Apple’s new iPhone has shaken the industry to its core” and expects a new cult to develop around the iPhone. He also expects to see other handset makers scrambling to catch up. I don’t agree with this assessment — aside from Motorola, earnings of the major handset makers were very good, and even fifth place LG sold more than 15 million phones in the first quarter alone (Apple’s target is for a 12-month period). This survey shows that Apple should expect about half of that 10 million target in the first 12 months to come from overseas. There is a lot of buzz about the iPhone, but I think major manufacturers are worried about their marketing efforts getting swamped by the iHype rather than in losing a large amount of sales. I think this survey confirms that the iPhone will get off to a slower start than expected. If all 17 percent of people who expressed interest in buying the iPhone at some point actually do so Apple will have a very impressive marketshare — but that’s going to take several years to happen. (release)
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