July 27, 2011, 9:55 AM — If everyone who says they want an iPhone 5 actually buys one, Apple's got another huge hit on its hands.
A survey of almost 3,000 consumers in early July shows that 35 percent plan to purchase Apple's new smartphone. That's higher than the iPhone's current U.S. market share of about 25 percent.
The Experian PriceGrabber survey of 2,852 U.S. consumers also shows that longer battery life and lower cost are at the top of their wish lists.
Of the 35 percent who say they want the iPhone 5, 51 percent said they would buy the smartphone within a year of its release (what kind of burning desire is that?), 30 percent will pull the trigger before the end of 2011, 14 percent will buy it inside of a month, and 7 percent will camp overnight outside an Apple store. OK, maybe not, but they said they'd buy it within the first week.
The iPhone 5 is expected to become available sometime this fall, or perhaps even early September, a couple of months later than Apple typically debuts a new iPhone in a given year.
According to the survey, 59 percent of consumers want the new Apple smartphone to have a longer battery life, while 55 percent want it to cost less than previous iPhones. The iPhone 4 costs $199 for a 16GB device and $299 for 32GB.
Also, 46 percent said 4G network compatibility was important, while 45 percent want a larger screen and 42 percent would really like a better camera.
Well, some people just want everything, don't they?
Now, if you're looking to give a smartphone as a gift, the survey indicates you can't go wrong with a BlackBerry Curve! Well, for 3 percent of the gift-receiving population, anyway. Another 69 percent would prefer the iPhone 5 as a smartphone gift, with 7 percent saying they'd prefer Motorola's upcoming Droid Bionic.
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