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October 06, 2008
Report: iPhone 3G is Second Best-Selling Mobile Handset in U.S.
By Michelle Robart, TMCnet Editor
According to a new report by The NPD Group ( News - Alert), 30 percent of U.S. consumers who bought Apple’s new iPhone 3G from June through August 2008 switched their mobile service to AT&T, the exclusive U.S. mobile carrier for the iPhone ( News - Alert).
In comparison, only 23 percent of consumers, on average, switched from one carrier to another between June and August 2008.
Nearly half (47 percent) of new AT&T iPhone customers that switched carriers switched from Verizon ( News - Alert) Wireless, another 24 percent switched from T-Mobile, and 19 percent switched from Sprint.
“The launch of the lower-priced iPhone 3G was a boon to overall consumer smartphone sales,” stated Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for The NPD Group.
“While the original iPhone also helped win customers for AT&T, the faster network speeds of the iPhone 3G has proven more appealing to customers that already had access to a 3G network,” added Rubin.
NPD’s “iPhone 3G Report” revealed that before the launch of the iPhone 3G, iPhone sales represented 11 percent of the consumer market for smartphones (January through May 2008). However, after the launch of iPhone 3G, Apple ( News - Alert) ruled 17 percent of the smartphone market (January through August 2008).
According to The NPD Group, the average price of a smartphone sold between June and August 2008 was $174, down 26 percent from $236 during the same period last year.
During June through August 2008, the top four best-selling smartphones based on unit-sales to consumers were:
1. Apple iPhone 3G
3. RIM BlackBerry Pearl
4. Palm Centro
In creating its research reports, The NPD Group compiles and analyzes mobile device sales data based on more than 150,000 completed online consumer research surveys each month. Surveys are based on a nationally balanced and demographically-representative sample, and results are projected to represent the entire population of U.S. consumers.
The NPD Group is a provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,600 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels.
Michelle Robart is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Michelle's articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Michelle Robart
(source: http://iphone.tmcnet.com/topics/iphone/articles/41927-report-iphone-3g-second-best-selling-mobile-handset.htm)
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