United Sample has released the results of an extensive survey of 727 AT&T and Verizon smartphone users. And if the responses of this seemingly small survey group track out to the general population come February 10—Verizon iPhone 4 launch day—then that sound you hear is Android and RIM’s cheerleaders weeping quietly in the corner.
That’s because 54 percent of current owners of Blackberry or Android phones—Verizon customers, mind you—registered themselves as either “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to switch to the iPhone 4 on launch day itself. On the flip side, 33 percent of this group indicated that they were “very unlikely” or “somewhat unlikely” to make the jump.
Best Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com
Breaking this down a bit further, 66 percent of Verizon’s Blackberry users specifically stated that they were either very or somewhat likely to pick up an iPhone 4 on launch day. That number drops to 44 percent for Verizon’s Android owners. But you can always ask them yourself: In total, 24 percent of existing Verizon owners intending to make a switch on launch day stated that they intended to stand in line to pick up a new device.
The chief reason for the switch—coming in at 60 percent of all surveyed Blackberry and Android owners on Verizon’s network—remained the differences in interface between either Android or Blackberry phones and the iPhone 4. A dislike of the respective phones’ web browsers and preference for the iPhone 4’s came up at 58 percent, and “media”—presumably what a phone supports as well as its ability to easily play or transfer media—was indicated by 51 percent of Verizon Blackberry and Android users looking to jump ship.
However, the biggest factor holding this populace back from going Apple is the costs for doing so. Nearly half of the surveyed Verizon users, 46 percent, cited it as the largest reason as to why they wouldn’t want to switch to an iPhone 4. In fact, 41 percent—when asked if they had any second thoughts about switching after learning more about Verizon’s iPhone 4—indicated that the costs of the phone and associated data plans remained a large roadblock in their decision-making process.
Interestingly, only 26 percent of surveyed AT&T users indicated that they were “somewhat” or “very” likely to buy an iPhone 4 on launch day. The chief reason that any members of the surveyed AT&T audience would do so—at a 48 percent response rate—was the dropped calls they experienced on AT&T’s network. However, 45 percent of the group indicated that the cost of the transition was the biggest issue holding them back.
