Current iPhone users will likely stay iPhone users, indicates new research released Wednesday. More than 9 in 10 iPhone owners stay Apple fans, an analyst said.
“While we believe that this retention can change rapidly, anecdotally during our survey we even received emails from three respondents asking when the next iPhone will be available,” wrote UBS analyst Maynard Um. Um expects Apple will announce 7.5 million of the iconic handsets were sold during the first three months of 2010.
However, that sales figure almost pales in comparison to those retention rates. Current iPhone owners by 95 percent overwhelmingly say they will likely purchase another iPhone. By comparison, 62 percent of Blackberry owners said they would buy their next smartphone from RIM. Only 42 percent of Nokia owners said they would buy another handset from the Finnish-handset giant.
Apple’s iPhone also came out on top when UBS asked about brand loyalty. Nine out of 10 iPhone owners said Apple’s handset was the best smartphone. That compares to just 42 percent of Blackberry owners and 20 percent of Nokia users.
UBS also released its first sales projections for the iPad. The firm expects Apple to ship 2.1 million tablet devices in 2010 and 4.6 million in 2011. Although “bullish” on the iPad, UBS announced hardware is not enough. “Over the near/medium-term, until we see more compelling apps to drive mass market adoption, we prefer to be cautious on overall adoption,” Um said.
[via AppleInsider]
