In a finding that underscores just how MUCH the smartphone market has become polarized, only 12 percent of current Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android phone owners said they were interested in purchasing Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) new iPhone 4S smartphone, which launched Oct. 14 in the United States and several other countries worldwide.
That figure compares to 42 percent of existing iPhone 4 owners, and 44 percent of iPhone 3G/3GS owners who said they planned to acquire an iPhone 4S, according to consumer electronics shopping Website Retrevo.
Only 24 percent of people owning BlackBerry smartphones from Research in Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) said they were interested in the iPhone 4S.
“It looks like Apple may be appealing more to its installed base in this version of the iPhone than attracting “defectors” from the other smartphone camps,” concluded Andrew Eisner, director of community and content for Retrevo.com, who along with his team surveyed more than 1,300 people in October to cull their results.
Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S Oct. 4 to an underwhelming response, but the handset offers substantial upgrades over the iPhone 4 that launched 16 months ago.
For example, the handset offers an A5 processor, 8 megapixel camera, both GSM and CDMA support and Siri, the artificial intelligence-based virtual personal assistant application that lets users search for information by speaking in the phone.
Eisner questioned whether consumers will camp out in front of Apple stores for the iPhone 4S and whether there will there be plenty to go around. Some 53 percent of those Retrevo surveyed said they didn’t believe the iPhone 4S would be in short supply, though 18 percent said they would still camp out or just wait in a long line to buy one.
While Apple did say iPhone 4S pre-sales topped 1 million in under 24 hours, it’s unlikely Apple will run out of devices, which will be available in Apple’s 245 retail stores as well as U.S. carriers AT&T (NYSE:T), Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZW) and Sprint (NYSE:S), and retailers such as Best Buy, Target and Walmart.
People are certainly camped out. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak tweeted last night that he was first in line to get one at an Apple store in Los Gatos, Calif.
Retrevo offered some more stats to noodle over regarding the launch, which cames five days before Google and Samsung unveil the Galaxy Nexus Oct. 19 in Hong Kong.
Among all smartphone owners:
- 24% of all smartphone owners said they plan on buying the new iPhone 4S
- 26% of all smartphone owners said they are not sure about buying the new iPhone 4S
- 50% of all smartphone owners said they are not buying the new iPhone 4S
iPhone 4 Owners: Are You Disappointed in the iPhone 4S?*:
- 53% said they’re not disappointed
- 21% said, yes, they wish it had a new design
- 29% said, yes, they wish it had 4G connectivity
- 12% said yes, they wish it had a larger display
Smartphone Owners: Are You Disappointed in the iPhone 4S?*:
- 71% said they’re not disappointed
- 11% said, yes, they wish it had a new design
- 17% said, yes, they wish it had 4G connectivity
- 7% said yes, they wish it had a larger display
*Respondents could choose more than one reason.