iPhone buying intentions drop while Samsung rises

Firm 451 ChangeWave Research has published its latest buying intentions numbers for smartphones, which reveal both a drop for the iPhone and steady rise for Samsung. The iPhone 5 in particular experienced a bigger dip than its predecessor, while Samsung handset buying intentions show an almost consistently steady rise in intentions. When combined, Apple and Samsung hold the majority of the smartphone buying intentions.

Apple's latest handset has experienced the greatest decline in buyer intention a single quarter after its release than any other iPhone model. The iPhone 5 fell 19 points, while the iPhone 4 has only experienced a 13 point drop. Meanwhile, Samsung saw a very nice increase in December, with the Korean company beating the numbers it achieved last summer during the Galaxy S III's launch.

According to the data, the number of Samsung smartphone buying intentions in December was 21-percent, a small jump over the 19-percent the company achieved with the Galaxy S III's launch, a larger jump over December 2011's 13-percent, and a huge increase over December 2010's 4-percent.

Still, as nice as the numbers are for Samsung, Apple still holds the majority of buyer intentions, with it having half (50-percent) and Samsung have less than a quarter at 21-percent. The information on this drop comes amidst rumors that Apple would release a cheaper plastic iPhone. The company's former CEO said yesterday that in order to survive in a world of increasingly cheaper handsets, Apple must adapt to survive in the changing smartphone market.

[via Forbes]