14 DAY TRIAL // A study found that nearly a third of consumers are very likely or somewhat likely to buy a new iPhone if it is made available through Verizon’s network.
“Based on a recent Morpace Omnibus study, it is clear that if the iPhone does become available on the Verizon network, it will impact the phone and carrier intentions of many consumers,” Morpace, a market research & consulting firm, claims.
The Omnibus study (PDF) notes that Apple’s iPhone has been very successful, yet many cell phone users were not convinced that switching to AT&T was a good choice, simply because they could wield an Apple hanset.
In fact, “a sizeable [sci] percentage of AT&T’s iPhone customers are known to have become dissatisfied with its carrier’s service and/or data plans, including network coverage, dropped calls and other issues,” Morpace notes.
Therefore, “The impact on other Verizon smart phones that have not previously had to compete directly with the iPhone may be significant if Verizon begins to carry the iPhone,” Morpace concluded.
“It could drastically impact the purchase of other phones,” the company says.
Verizon iPhone intenders come primarily from current Verizon customers, the survey reveals.
“However, intenders are also drawn from current AT&T customers as well as from other carriers. Current AT&T iPhone customers are also interested in a Verizon iPhone,” notes Morpace.
Interestingly, the study also found that the number of upgrades seen for the iPhone 4 may be impacted by recent rumors of the iPhone availability on Verizon’s network, or that of another carrier.
But concerns over how the Verizon network will handle the bandwidth demands of iPhone 4 still exist, according to the survey’s findings.
According to Morpace, “Nearly all 34 percent of AT&T iPhone owners who have not yet upgraded to the iPhone 4 say they are waiting for the iPhone to become available through another mobile carrier before upgrading.”