iPhone 5 Demand Surges

In July, a survey conducted by PriceGrabber showed that 35% of respondents planned to purchase the iPhone 5. Of these respondents, 51% indicated that they will buy the smartphone within the first year of release--30% plan to purchase it before the end of 2011, 14% will buy it within the first month, and 7% will buy it within the first week.

Keep in mind, no one really knows anything about the iPhone 5. Yet.

Fast forward to today, and new numbers from InMobi suggest that demand is even higher. Data collected in its monthly Mobile Insights network ad data research show that 41% of current mobile device users in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico plan to buy the iPhone 5. That's up 6 percentage points from PriceGrabber's numbers in July. InMobi also says that 50% of its respondents say they will buy the iPhone 5 within the first six months of release.

What are consumers looking for in a new iPhone? They want the battery life to be better (59%) according to PriceGrabber's July survey, and they want it to cost less (55%). Interestingly, less than half of respondents said that 4G was important at 46%, though 45% want a bigger display. About 42% said they'd like the iPhone 5 to have a better camera.

InMobi's numbers confirm that consumers today are still interested in a similar set of features.

"The study finds that consumers are most hopeful for improved battery life; increased processing speed; higher-quality screen resolution; and stronger phone service in the rumored Apple smartphone," said the company in a statement.

Should Apple's competitors be worried? Perhaps. InMobi looked at what phones people are using now, and whether or not they'll switch to the iPhone 5. The data says 51% of current iPhone users will switch to the iPhone 5; while 27% of Android users will switch; and 52% of BlackBerry users will switch.

Were I RIM, I'd be doing everything possible to prevent further customer defections.

Anticipation for the new iPhone is high, especially since it is making its debut more than three months later than most had expected it to. Add to that Apple's brand loyalty, and you have what could turn out to be an explosive start to the holiday quarter for Apple.

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