Study claims 'huge potential' for Apple iPod phone
Prince McLean
If Apple Computer were to release an iPod-based cell phone device with features in line with recent rumors, it would hold the potential to increase the company's customer footprint substantially, a new study has revealed.
The study, which polled over 2,600 people between June and October 2006, also found that just over 20 percent of Americans currently own an Apple product. However, it implies that Apple's footprint could grow to over 30 percent of Americans within 18 months of an iPod phone release.
Based on the study's findings, 53 percent of likely iPhone buyers would be female and 47 percent male. The average buyer would be 35 years of age and pull an income 10 percent higher than the national average.
In a summary of the results, Solutions said the Sprint/Nextel and T-mobile customers responded most enthusiastically to the idea of an iPod phone. Meanwhile, African-Americans and Hispanics were the two ethnicities that expressed "above average interest" in the device.
"Potential buyers are above average music and movie downloaders, suggesting significant incremental revenue opportunities — for example, 29 percent of likely iPod phone buyers paid for music in the past month from a site such as iTunes or Napster compared to an average of 12 percent of the US online population," the firm said.
iPhone Appeal Study Results | Source: Solutions Research Group.
Apple's iPod image and user experience were reportedly significant appeal drivers in the cell phone study. Overall, participants waged as their primary concern the impact on battery life entertainment capabilities would have on such a device.
"Clearly, the rumored two-battery design would go a long way in addressing this significant perceived limitation," Solutions said.
The firm noted that it funds its own syndicated research in order to maintain an unbiased perspective.
Malcolm Owen
Amber Neely
Marko Zivkovic
David Schloss
Wesley Hilliard
Mike Wuerthele and Malcolm Owen
44 Comments
These studies always bother me because how can we tell who is actually funding them? For all we know Solutions Research Group received a huge financial backing from Apple to produce this study. I think that they would be slightly motivated to push it towards Apple's side.
These studies always bother me because how can we tell who is actually funding them? For all we know Solutions Research Group received a huge financial backing from Apple to produce this study. I think that they would be slightly motivated to push it towards Apple's side.
That's an ad hominem. All that matters is that the sample size was large enough and fairly evenly distributed. It's not like the participants magically change their answers because Apple is funding the study.
SRG does do client-specific research but that shouldn't impact the validity of their findings. Why would a company like Apple hire a research firm and pay them good money to slew the data? Doesn't make sense.
About SRG
Lots of companies hire outfits like this to do product research and focus groups in an effort to gauge consumer reaction.
We don't need a research group, a market research firm, or any study for that matter, to tell us people would like an iPod Phone made by Apple. Common sense prevails!
My main question is whether the participants understood that an "iPod phone" was specifically referring to an Apple product, or whether many of them simply interpreted the term "iPod phone" to simply refer to any phone that plays music (i.e., do they just interpret iPod as referring to an MP3 player, similar to how "Google" has become a verb). Obviously the former would have even stronger implications for Apple than the latter.