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Advance Demand for Apple's Next iPhone 'Unprecedented'

Consumer demand for Apple's next generation iPhone has reached "unprecedented" levels, according to a just-released survey from ChangeWave Research.

July 23, 2012

Eager Apple fans usually can't wait to get their hands on Cupertino's latest products, with some willing to wait in line for days to be the first person to own the latest iPhone or iPad. But consumer demand for Apple's next-generation iPhone has reached "unprecedented" levels, according to a just-released survey from ChangeWave Research.

In the survey of 4,042 primarily North American consumers, conducted in June, 14 percent of respondents indicated they are "very likely" to purchase the so-called "iPhone 5" for themselves or someone else. Another 17 percent said they are "somewhat likely" to buy the next-gen smartphone. Consumers were told the device is expected to feature a , improved camera, a new iOS 6 operating system, 4G LTE capability, and be priced the same as the current iPhone 4S.

"Advance demand for the 'iPhone 5' is strikingly higher than we've seen for any previous iPhone model," Paul Carton, vice president of research at ChangeWave, said in a statement.

It even trumps advance , which is considered to be the most successful smartphone in history. Last October, for instance, 10 percent of consumers polled by ChangeWave said they were very likely to purchase the iPhone 4S, while 11.5 percent indicated they were somewhat likely to buy the device.

Moreover, advance demand for the next iPhone beats out current demand for the popular . Two percent of consumers said they are very likely to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S III, while another 7 percent identified themselves as somewhat likely. According to the survey, Samsung is experiencing a "huge surge of momentum," thanks in large part to its latest smartphone, though not to the same degree as Apple is expected to see.

"Overall smartphone sales should spike to an all-time high this fall, and of course Apple is going to be the number one beneficiary," Carton said. "But besides Apple, and to a lesser degree Samsung, no other manufacturer is likely to benefit from this coming wave of demand."

Demand for Motorola and HTC "remains sluggish" while BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion is "stuck at its all-time low." Nokia, however, is seeing a slight increase in consumer smartphone demand, a good sign for its new phone.

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