14 DAY TRIAL // While most of the surveys that showed a high interest in the iPhone were from the U.S., it looks like things are not too different on the other side of the ocean. A pair of European surveys conducted by Canalys showed that almost half of the participating iPod users are considering Apple for their next phone.
Canalsys asked 2,000 respondents to assess how likely it would be for them to choose different mobile manufacturers. Apple was in the middle of the range, well behind Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung and Motorola but ahead of well-known smart mobile device vendors like RIM, HP and Palm. Meanwhile, a second UK survey from Shiny Media, 25 percent of the respondents said that they would be willing to switch their network provider to get their hands on an iPhone.
"Apple's rating improves dramatically when you talk to existing iPod owners," said Pete Cunningham, senior analyst at Canalys. "Almost half the respondents who owned an iPod rated Apple as likely to be considered for their next phone, compared to just 20 per cent for those who didn't have an iPod, and they were five times as likely to give Apple the highest rating. There is a lot of loyalty that Apple can tap into."
Much like in previous surveys, a lot of people showed potential interest in the iPhone but found it too expensive. Approximately 46 per cent of the respondents would purchase an iPhone if the price fell below ?200.
So far Apple's iPhone is eagerly expected everywhere, but Apple could easily sell heaps more of the handhelds if they lowered the price. Whether Apple does this or not, prices will inevitably go down and while it may take half a year, they will eventually get to the point where all these people who find it expensive at the moment will be getting one.