Cell phone buyers vocal cords say Apple iPhone, but their actions say Android

The latest ChangeWave survey is out. 4,163 North Americans who plan on buying a cell phone over the next 90 days were asked which OS they were leaning toward purchasing. With the next-gen Apple iPhone quite possibly heading for a launch sometime in the next 3 months, 46% said that this would be their next handset. 32% chose an Android flavored model while just 4% picked RIM as the Canadian based manufacturer of BlackBerry devices continues to freefall.

There seems to be a disconnect between what future handset buyers are saying and what they are doing.  During the last 2 summers, the  Apple iPhone beat out Android by a big margin by those planning on purchasing a new phone within 90 days. In fact, the iPhone has always matched or surpassed Android in every quarter since ChangeWave started this survey. Yet, despite all of these intentions, over the last year Android phones have outsold the Apple iPhone in the States. It could be that many buyers are unaware that the iPhone isn't available for their carrier's network and just answer that they plan on buying an iPhone because it is the only model they know. Or, minds could be changed once a rep shows off the features on an Android model.

Still, the survey shows that an amazing 70% of Apple iPhone users are "satisfied" with their handset as opposed to 50% of Android users and just 26% of BlackBerry users. If we can assume that dissatisfied users switch platforms, these figures could forecast an upcoming surge in iOS buyers once some Android owners find that their 2 year contract has expired.

source: ChangeWave via mocoNews