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 North America and Canada plan to buy the new iPhone.
The study found that more than half of BlackBerry users polled are planning to switch to the iPhone 5, and some 27 percent of Android owners are willing to do the switch, alongside 51 percent of current iPhone users. If these figures prove to be true, it could be the most successful phone launch for Apple to date.
Out of the potential switchers, the study says that more than 50 percent of respondents said they would buy the iPhone 5 within the first six months of 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 numbers, InMobi's study refers to the iPhone 5 based on speculation that the new device would be an all-new iPhone, 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 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 2-to-1 in the past three months, according to a Nielsen survey this week. Nielsen is also weary 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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