The new iPhone that Apple is expected to announce on Oct. 4 is already on the shopping list of many BlackBerry and Android users. Research from InMobi, an independent mobile ad network, found that 41 percent of mobile users in Canada, the United States, and Mexico plan to buy the new iPhone.
Within the group of potential switchers, the study says, more than 50 percent of respondents said that they would buy the iPhone 5 within the first six months of its availability. This could help Apple increase its market share from 27 percent in June to a dominant 41 percent, the study predicts.
Before you read too much into these poll numbers, however, you should be aware that they refer to consumer interest in an all-new iPhone 5, featuring a larger screen and a new design. An iPhone 4S–a slightly improved iPhone 4 on the inside–would not fare as well with consumers, according to the InMobi study. In that case, less than 15 percent of consumers would be willing to drop their Androids (11 percent) and BlackBerrys (28 percent) for a new iPhone.
Android devices have outsold iPhones by a 2-to-1 margin in the past three months, according to a Nielsen survey this week. Nielsen is also wary of the impending iPhone launch, saying “Every time Apple launches a new iPhone or makes it available on a new wireless carrier, there is an increase in their sales.”
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