Survey Shows Very High Pre-Release Demand for iPhone 3G

Apple's iPhone 3G is set to launch around the world on Friday, and according to one survey there's a great deal of demand for it.

Market-analyst firm RBC Capital Markets polled the members of its Technology Adoption Panel who are thinking of buying a smartphone in the next 90 days, and found that 56% of them are interested in Apple's second-generation smartphone.

The analysts referred to this as "unprecedented pent-up demand".

This survey found that 23% of those polled are considering getting a BlackBerry device in the next three months. RIM is expected to debut the BlackBerry Bold in this period.

Palm was next with 3% of responders showing interest, while HTC, Nokia, and Samsung each had 2%. The "Other" category garnered 9% of the responses.

Why the iPhone 3G?

Those who participated in RBC Capital Markets' survey were also asked why they were interested in the iPhone 3G.

Their reasons were:

• Lower Price: 67%
• Faster 3G Wireless Access: 63%
• GPS: 47%
• Enterprise Email: 35%
• Third-party Software: 20%

Strong Demand for Smartphones 

In addition, this survey shows there's growing demand for smartphones.

Mike Abramsky from RBC said "Overall intentions by the panel to purchase smartphones jumped to 10.5 percent, indicating a significant expansion of the smartphone market."

Related Articles 

• AT&T Releases Details of iPhone 3G Service Plans
• iPhone vs. Android: a Study in Contrasts

Via InformationWeek