Rochester (NY) – Harris Interactive added itself to the line of iPhone sales forcasters, predicting that Apple’s upcoming cellphone-iPod will pick up lots of customers when it goes on sale in late June. However, there are challenges as high-powered, pricey phones such as the iPhone appeal to less than one third of cellphone buyers.

 

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Apple's iPhone in pictures ...

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If we believe Harris and the survey results concluded from 1116 U.S. adults, then iPhone could become a fantastic launch pad for Apple into the cellphone segment. Two months before the scheduled introduction, 47% of respondents were aware of the iPhone and 17% expressed interest in purchasing it.

 However, it appears to be rather unclear what the killer features of the iPhone really are. Harris found that the “hottest” feature of the iPhone is its storage capacity, which was highlighted by 37% of respondents. 36% referred to quad-band capability, while 31% especially like the user interface of the phone.

Harris predicts a “nice pop” in sales for the iPhone when it surfaces on the market, but the firm also mentioned that 40% of survey respondents will wait with a purchase until the price of the iPhone will come down. 25% of people answering to the questions of the survey said they would switch when their carrier will offer the phone;  17% of potential customers are expected to switch before their existing contracts expires.

Apple itself said in the past that it is targeting a 1% market share with its iPhone – or sales of about 10 million devices in the first 12 months. The fact that the iPhone is positioned in the $500+ market segment, however, means that Apple is aiming for a much higher market  share than 1%. Should Apple achieve its goal to ship 10 million iPhones in the first year, the company would end up with a 10% share in the segment of high-end multimedia phones.


What is your take on the iPhone? Is it attractive enough to justify a cancellation of a service contract? Will you consider buying the iPhone?  Or will the iPhone turn out to be a short lived story and a product without a market?

Attractive, but eeh...

Apr 19, 2007 17:09     

The iPhone is nice and all, but that high price paired with lack of 3G support and a first generation device all adds up to NO. Besides, my current cell already does 90% of what the iPhone does. Why do I need one?
Matt report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Remember the first time you picked up an Ipod?

Apr 19, 2007 19:43     

The reason why you will want one... is it will be a breeze to use... intuitive like the Ipod. The first time I Picked up an Ipod I was amazed at the controls... I could navigate effortlessly, it was a pleasure to use. I own a Motorola Q... and it's usability absolutely sux. Some things are so bass-ackwards I gave up trying to do them with the phone. Even just taking pictures is a pain in the butt.

RockHop report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Great Interface....poor other features.

Apr 20, 2007 01:40     

If I do get the iPhone, it will be because of the phone's nice graphic interface. However, having only a 2MP camera is just....
PeaceLoving report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

I'll buy...

Apr 20, 2007 09:25     

...if the battery & the sound is good. Just that. I believed it will be easy to use.
V. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Too many bells and whistles for me

Apr 23, 2007 11:36     

I use a 6 year old Siemens phone. It makes calls and does the job fine for me.
amtrack88 report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Nope...

Apr 23, 2007 11:43     

Cell phones and contracts are such a scam... It will be a tough sell, when most phones are "Free" (yeah right) will long term contracts. Just more crap for our batman utility belts...
bcolter report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Why EDGE - Slow data transfer

Apr 25, 2007 14:04     

If you want to surf the net out in the wild, like Jobs made a song and dance about, the iPhone relies on EDGE for mobile data transfer. It allows for maximum download speeds of 473Kbytes/sec but typically users only see 100-200Kbytes/sec. Edge is big in the USA and sometimes referred to as 2.75G – not as fast as 3G and no where near the capability of HSDPA, sometimes called 3.5G that allows for 1.8Mbits/sec downloads.

Bob report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

IPhone will Revolutionize the way we communicate

May 09, 2007 22:21     

Just think about how many people are out there that need information at Their fingertips at a moments notice. Practically since the beginning of the computer revolution people have been dreaming of a way to get stock quotes, use email, talk with friends, and all this while on the go. The IPhone is that one device that will lead to this inevitable change that we've been on the brink of discovering since the beginning of this information Explosion!

Tyler Adams report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0