A recent survey conducted by Piper Jaffray found that almost half of all Android and BlackBerry users plan to switch to an iPhone 5. The survey consisted of 216 people from Minneapolis, MN. Although those numbers are small, the results were very similar to an earlier and larger survey by
ChangeWave.
Of those surveyed the breakdown of the types of phones they currently owned included: 29 percent iPhone, 28 percent BlackBerry, 17 percent Android, 15 percent feature phone and 11 percent other.
The existing Android users were almost split when it came to switching to an iPhone. In that group, 47 percent said they were planning to stick with Android and 42 percent were planning a change to an iPhone.
However, the outlook is a bit grim for RIM, where only 26 percent were planning to get another BlackBerry and 67 percent were upgrading to the iPhone. Only three percent planned to purchase an Android.
Another interesting point the survey discovered was of the current feature phone users, only six percent plan to stick with a feature phone. The rest plan an upgrade to a smartphone. This could potentially leave a very small market for feature phones. It is hard to imagine feature phones would ever go away completely, however. It seems they will still attract specific users, such as those who rarely use a cell phone and some older generation people.
The survey also touched on carriers and it looks like Verizon may be in for a treat. Of those surveyed, AT&T was the largest carrier in the group at 35 percent and Verizon was a close second at 32 percent. However, several respondents said they were planning to change to Verizon when their current contract ran out. This would increase Verizon to 40 percent and AT&T would drop to 33 percent.
Obviously the rumor mill on the iPhone 5 release has been going crazy, so hopefully once the new iOS device is revealed it will still carry the same excitement it has in the pre-launch. Otherwise, all these statistics could likely need an adjustment. It looks like Apple has a lot to live up to with the new iPhone 5!
