Research firm Markitecture conducted yet another study on the awareness of the iPhone and shed some interesting light on the potential success of the device. Of the 1,300 people surveyed across the U.S., 77% were at least aware of the iPhone, but only 6% said they were likely to buy it in the next year.The two-thirds majority who said, "No way, Jose," cited cost as the number one reason they wouldn't jump onto the iPhone Express when it arrives in late June. Cost. This issue comes up again and again. Practically every survey we've seen of the iPhone shows that consumers just don't want to plunk down the dough for it. Contract and carrier issues ranked a close second. With so many objecting to the cost and carrier partnership, Apple has clearly rolled the dice with its pricing model and exclusive deal with AT&T/Cingular.

Despite these negative results, there was some more positive news. According to Markitecture, that fact that 77% of respondents were already aware of the iPhone was atypical for a product that hasn't launched yet. Furthermore, 41% of those people "had a good impression of the iPhone based on everything they had seen or heard."

While the 6% figure of likely buyers may seem low, it's important to consider that one of the most successful phones in recent memory, the Motorola RAZR, climbed to 6% market share at its zenith. For a market crowded with hundreds of models, 6% ain't a bad number. Heck, that's 5% more than Apple CEO Steve Jobs is aiming for.

What do these new study results portend for the iPhone? It's hard to say. But the same two issues, cost and carrier, come up again and again. Can the iPhone surmount them?