Apple’s iPhone a ‘billion dollar’ hit before launch

M:Metrics research shows that 56 percent of British and 64 percent of American mobile phone users were aware of the iPhone. In the U.S., where the device will launch first, 14 percent of those who had heard about the iPhone reported they would be highly interested in buying one.

"19 million Americans reported strong interest in purchasing an iPhone – an impressive figure, when you consider that the installed base of most high-end devices rarely approaches one million and respondents were informed of the price point as well as of the AT&T exclusive," said Mark Donovan from M:Metrics.

"This data confirms that the iPhone has sparked the imaginations of consumers and is not merely a topic of conversation among insiders and technology enthusiasts," observed Mark Donovan, senior vice president and senior analyst, M:Metrics.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs said at the recent unveiling of the iPhone that the company is looking to sell 10 million of the "revolutionary and magical" devices in the next 18 months. The latest research from M:Metrics makes this figure more realistic than ever.

AT&T, which has 60 million subscribers, has started to punt the iPhone to their user base, which makes sense since the UK market is far more likely to purchase a smart phone than their US counterparts.

"We expected that mobile users in the UK would be more inclined to buy an expensive device, since smartphones are twice as popular in the UK as in the US," said Paul Goode, vice president and senior analyst, from M:Metrics London office.

In the UK 6.96 million, or 28%, of mobile subscribers indicated that they have a strong interest in purchasing the iPhone.

This brings the combined US-UK number of mobile subscribers with a strong interest in purchasing an iPhone to just under 26-million, something that will make Apple’s Jobs a happy man.

Assuming that the actual sales figures will resemble the numbers reported in the M:Metrics research, Apple stands to generate billions in additional revenue.

iPhone riding the ‘cool’ factor

While there are many other mobile phones that provide superior features to the iPhone, this is not the iPhone’s major selling point. Its revolutionary interface, modern look and fashionable image will most likely be the major draw card for the phone.

"While other devices—some of them already on the market—have features equal or better than the iPhone, such as 3G, superior cameras, and the like, the iPhone has been the first mobile device to create widespread consumer excitement around a mobile phone," commented Donovan.

"This has the potential to increase consumer demand for more expensive, full featured phones across the board as OEMs and other operators respond to AT&T/Apple's marketing juggernaut."

A recent discussion with mobile experts from the cellular giants Vodacom-Vodafone, MTN and Virgin Mobile revealed that they expect the iPhone to become the ultimate cellular fashion accessory after its launch.

And with mobile phones long surpassing the image of merely a functional telephony device, Apple may be able to bank on the image of the iPhone to achieve millions of sales for the company.

The iPhone is set to launch on the 29th June in the US.
Source :http://mybroadband.co.za