iPhone gaining on BlackBerry as consumer favourite


30 Apr 2008

While RIM’s BlackBerry far outsells either the Palm or Windows Mobile as the smart phone of choice after Nokia, Apple’s iPhone is gaining ground with a 6.5pc market share, in comparison to the BlackBerry’s 11.4pc, according to analyst firm Canalys.

However, this gap is on its way to closing in the near future with the release of the updated 3G version of the iPhone, as a survey from research firm ChangeWave finds that the pet peeves amongst iPhone users are the very features that will be most likely be fixed with the update.

The major complaint amongst users of the Apple handset was the speed of the EDGE network, soon to be a thing of the past with 3G being introduced.

The second most frequent complaint was the fact the iPhone is tied into one network with a contract. However, rumour suggests that the smart phone’s foray into both South American and Australia may well come with the option to use a network of choice within those regions.

Overall, ChangeWave found that 79pc of iPhone users were very satisfied with their purchase, in comparison with only 54pc of BlackBerry users feeling the same way about theirs.

The second biggest niggle amongst Blackberry users was the functionality of its handset, whereas the touch screen interaction on the iPhone was the second most liked feature on the iPhone after its phone, iPod and web combination.

However the most loved feature of the BlackBerry has always been its email integration, something iPhone users desire from their user experience.

By Marie Boran