With first-weekend sales estimated anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000 depending on which source you listen to, Apple and AT&T have a long way to go to satiate the desire for the iPhone, according to a new report from market research firm RDA Global. A new survey estimates that 7.2 million U.S. mobile workers would like an iPhone, all told. And that doesn’t account for other demographic groups that might be interested in the device, either.
The company polled 1,027 people in the U.S. Extrapolating based on that research, the company has concluded that 15 percent of the 50 million mobile workers in the U.S. have expressed interest in buying an iPhone. That’s about 7.2 million, all together. RDA Global defines mobile workers as those who either travel, work away from their office or are telecommuters.
The survey reveals that mobile workers who already use Macs or iPods are the most likely to consider the iPhone. What’s more, younger consumers are more likely to pay the $500 – $600 premium for a new iPhone. According to the study, those most likely to buy the iPhone also spend about twice the amount of time on their mobile devices as those that aren’t — that bodes well for AT&T as the exclusive U.S. service provider for the foreseeable future.
“We expect Apple to capture sales from Blackberry, Treo and other high-end phone users — almost half of this group says that they plan to buy an iPhone,” said Chris Seals, vice president of business development at RDA Global.