Mobile phone users in the US and UK are positively salivating at the thought of owning an iPhone, according to new research from M:Metrics.
The company's latest Benchmark study found that 56 per cent of British and 64 per cent of American mobile phone users were aware of the iPhone. In the US, 14 per cent of those who had heard about the iPhone said they would be highly interested in buying one.Among the UK subscribers who were aware of the iPhone, 30 per cent (seven million) reported strong interest in buying one, even though a launch date in Europe has yet to be announced.
Apple will launch the iPhone in the US on June 29th, with AT&T having secured five-year exclusivity for the device.
Interestingly, 67 per cent of US respondents who were most inclined to purchase an iPhone are subscribers on other carrier networks, suggesting that Cingular could use the device to lure customers from its competitors.
M:Metrics senior analyst Mark Donovan said: "While other devices - some of them already on the market - have features equal or better than the iPhone, such as 3G, superior cameras, and the like, the iPhone has been the first mobile device to create widespread consumer excitement around a mobile phone. This has the potential to increase consumer demand for more expensive, full-featured phones across the board as OEMs and other operators respond to AT&T/Apple’s marketing juggernaut."
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