iPhone in "striking distance" of BlackBerry
Apple gains, RIM drifts, Palm holds steady in the latest ChangeWave survey
Source: ChangeWave
Research in Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry, with a 40% share, is still the most popular smartphone among the 4,255 owners who responded to a ChangeWave survey in September. But Apple's (AAPL) iPhone is gaining fast, according to research director Paul Carton.
"Apple (30%) has seen a huge market share jump since the previous survey," he writes in a release issued Tuesday. "Not only has the iPhone 3GS release enabled them to gain 5-pts overall — for the first time it has also placed them within striking distance of the number one spot in the consumer market."
Palm (PALM) remains far behind at 7%, Carton notes, but adds that "this is the first survey in nearly two years where their share hasn’t fallen – and that’s a clearly encouraging sign."
ChangeWave surveys are often dismissed as unrepresentative — which they are. But in this case, the so-called ChangeWave Alliances' 20,000 professionals "who spend their everyday lives on the frontline of technological change," according to its website, represent the sweet spot of RIM's and Palm's target market.
For more results — good and bad — from the survey, see the charts below the fold.
Apple continues to lead on the customer satisfaction front, with 74% of iPhone owners describing themselves as "very satisfied."
Source: ChangeWave
However, when asked whether they were planning to buy an iPhone, BlackBerry or Pre in the next 90 days, the BlackBerry gained, the Pre held steady and the iPhone fell sharply in comparison with a similar survey conducted in June.
Source: ChangeWave
Carton attributes the fall in iPhone purchase plans as a natural "settl[ing] back" after the "huge spike of excitement" that accompanied the iPhone 3GS launch in June. He notes that the 8-pt drop between June and September (from 44% to 36%) is a lot less than the 22-pt drop he picked up a year ago after the July 2008 launch of the iPhone 3G.
[Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]
They have not accounted for the next big non-business consumer smartphone: DROID!!!
Droid will take away from the iphone world; however, nothing will touch the BlackBerry in the corporate world. My personal phone will be a Droid next week.
Until Apple brings corporate applications, security and access control it will never gain acceptance in the business world, which is where the Blackberry grew up and reigns supreme.
Unfortunately it will take some time for Apple to build that confidence and acceptance in the corporate world, so for now it's just an awesome toy with some great non-business applications.
My family used to throw comments at the iPhone just like Octavio's comments below. All were die-hard BlackBerry fans, especially my wife. Now my in-laws, grandfather, brother, sisters and as of last week my wife have purchased iPhones…they used to constantly ask me to take out my iPhone and Google stuff or pull up my GPS map to see traffic conditions or to borrow it while they checked their FaceBook or a website…it is that much easier and quicker on the iPhone. Now they can do it themselves on their own iPhones and all of them are extremely satisfied with their purchase!
I don't trust the statifaction poll. First of all iphone users are a-holes and everytime say you don't charge your phone for a couple of days they always jump in to tell you how crappy your phone is because see-see its not working, its like that with everything they never shut up (just read the comments below). Second A LOT of people have blackberries for their work and it kinda the cool thing to complain about it I dropped my phone in a bar with a lot of young professional picked it up and was aww poor baby they laughed and were all like ugh I hate my BB but then they all whipped it out to show off. Heres a true analogy Blackberry is to sienfield as iphone is to family guy.
all I have to say: http://www.droiddoes.com
Had a VZW Blackberry. Changed to ATT iPhone a year ago for more features. Different league. Blackberry is to the iPhone like an abacus is to an iMac.
After 3 iPhones in 1 year, another on the rocks, no praises from me. If Verizon offered iPhone, they could take the market share, but AT&T is just that Attitude Terrible & Terrible!! Arrogance and ineptness reigns supreme at AT&T. I have AT&T L.D., UVerse, iPhone, and have been with them exclusively even before AT&T took over the cellular biz, and they could care less that I've had 3 in one year go down! I'm two months out from getting an upgrade to 3GS, and they are upcharging me if I want out with a defunt iPhone two months early to $399, a $100 penalty for two months early upgrade that would be $199 in two months, mind you!! So, I cripple with a iPhone that loses battery in 3 hours, and this is a tool for business? Excuse me!! That's AT&T. Steve Jobs, wake up!!!
The Iphone is amazing!! And yes we do have picture messaging Jeremy! I've had my fair share of phones! Nokia Slider, LG Spyder, BB Pearl, BB World, and now the Iphone. Nothing beats it! The internet browser is amazing and so so simple! On BB's, you have to scroll all over the place and it takes too much time. Iphone is the best on the market!
Another chapter in this pointless neverending Apple-Babble!!
Forget about scientology, Apple's the new religion. It's got more fanatical followers than Al Qaida, ETA and the Evangelical Christians put together!!
Its pretty disturbing.
Do Iphone's even have picture messaging ? Can you text other Iphone users for free outside ATT's billing ? Can you get a legitimate Iphone from someone other than crappy ATT ?
I'll keep my blackberry, thank you.
I would get an iphone if Verizon was a carrier. Until they open up beyond AT&T I will stick with my BB.
"The only reason a BB can be better than an iPhone is if work pays for one ."
I agree, some people only have BB's because of work and to carry both would be dumb. I'm sure the enterprise landscape is going to change soon.
I have a company phone, BB, and personal usage is not frowned upon. Once I got my hands on an Iphone I went and got one even though I have another phone which is paid for….that speaks for itself
RIM is like a PC and the Iphone is like a Mac. For the past decade and a half the world embraced the PC because you don't have to understand Tech to use it. Now we are comming into a generation where "tech" is something kids are learning as early as preschool thus we, as a society, are starting to demand better products. Apple and Google are the new big wigs for the forseeable future
The way things area going, every teenager and college student in the country will own an iPhone. RIM should have saw this coming.
Two years ago I switched to iPhone and have never been satisfied more in my previous 15 years of cell phone use.
The quality and friendliness of iPhone design inspired me to donate all my family PCs and replace them with Macs as well.
BlackBerry RIM –> BlackBerry RIP.
I, too, had BlackBerry. While it was useful when there were no competitors around, it went the way side now that I own an iPhone.
.I have both a Blackberry and an iphone. The iphone has so many practical uses that it just blows my Blackberry out of the water. When I can carry only one phone you know which one it is….
Great study. I think iphone will outperform all other mobil phones. I see google as the only compatitor in the future.
China Unicom has 1.2 million back orders of iPhone on waiting list. China Unicom foresees 7 to 10 million back orders of iPhone this Christmas.
iPhones will reign the market when Verizon takes hold in 2 years