Apple’s iPhone 3G is surviving the Storm, according to a new study. ChangeWave Research reports that sales of the iPhone line have not been dramatically affected by the launch of the BlackBerry Storm from Research in Motion (RIM).
The Storm, released in November, is the first touchscreen smartphone from RIM, potentially Apple’s largest competitor. Many observers have touted it as RIM’s answer to the iPhone. The survey, taken December 9-15, queried nearly 4,000 current smartphone owners about their phones.
iPhone Up, BlackBerry Steady
According to the survey, the iPhone’s current market share is 23 percent this month, an increase from the 17 percent market share shown in a similar survey in September, and more than twice its share when the 3G model was launched in June. BlackBerry’s market share, including all models, is 43 percent in December, compared with 40 percent in September.
This compares with figures from last January, when the iPhone registered a six percent market share and BlackBerry was 43 percent.
Some observers have noted that Apple’s rise is apparently coming at the expense of other handset makers. Palm had an 18 percent market share in January 2008, but this month it’s down to nine percent. Motorola’s dropped from seven percent in January to four percent this month.
Going forward, though, the Storm may yet make waves for the iPhone. For survey respondents who planned on purchasing a new smartphone in the next three months, 39 percent intended to buy a BlackBerry, an increase of nine percent over September’s numbers. About 30 percent intended to buy an iPhone, down four percent from September.
Inside and Outside U.S. Market
However, the same survey found that only about 33 percent of the Storm’s owners were “very satisfied” with their purchase, while 77 percent of the purchasers of the original iPhone had been. The comparison was made…