Consumers Want iPhones and Androids, Snub BlackBerry

Consumers still prefer the smartphone operating systems belonging to Apple and Google, according to a June survey.

ChangeWave Research found in a survey of 4,163 consumers that Apples iOS platform a system that powers the iPhone remains the No. 1 preference for buyers. Forty-six percent of people who plan to purchase a smartphone in the next 90 days said they preferred to have the Apple iOS on their new device. Thats up two percentage points since a March survey conducted by ChangeWave.

Googles Android platform also is popular with consumers.

Thirty-two percent of survey respondents who plan to buy a smartphone in the next three months said they preferred to have Android. Thats up one percentage point from the March survey.

Declining Demand for BlackBerry

Only 4 percent of consumers noted a preference for Research in Motions BlackBerry operating system, down from five percent of consumers in the previous survey.

The survey also indicates that consumers are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the embattled supplier of BlackBerry products. Only 27 percent of customers surveyed said they were very satisfied” with their RIM/BlackBerry cell phone. Thats down two percentage points from the March survey and a fraction of the percentage (70 percent) of consumers who expressed satisfaction with their Apple cell phone. Canada-based RIM was in a far different position three years ago. A September 2008 survey found that a whopping 55 percent of consumers revealed they were very satisfied” with their RIM/BlackBerry cell phone.

RIM is getting creamed in the consumer smartphone wars by its rivals, including Apple, whose iPhone remains a favorite among consumers. The survey found that nearly half (48 percent) of respondents planning on buying a smartphone in the next 90 days noted they will purchase an iPhone. That represents the highest level of demand in the smart phone industry,” according to ChangeWave.

The survey mostly reflected consumer preferences in the United States. Of the 4,163 consumers surveyed, 89 percent were U.S. respondents.