Survey: Chinese iPhone consumer awareness high

The results of a new survey released today by Pearl Research suggest that more than two-thirds of Chinese consumers have heard of the iPhone. The survey states that approximately 68% of respondents had heard of the iPhone, and that females were more likely to cite “trendiness” and “design” as a key factor in wanting to purchase the device, while males more often cited “utility.” Pricing was given as the most mentioned reason for disinterest in purchasing an iPhone, along with Apple’s inexperience with mobile phones, and interviews suggested that carriers’ high costs for mobile internet access could pose another challenge for Apple in the region. Finally, approximately 88% of iPod owners expressed interest in the iPhone. The survey was based on a relatively small sample size — 450 online survey respondents and 24 in-depth interviews — which, unfortunately, makes the results somewhat unreliable.