Rockville, MD (PRWEB) April 29, 2008 — In a just-released survey report, ChangeWave takes a close-up look at the features consumers love and hate most about their iPhones and BlackBerrys.

This report is a follow-up to a previous ChangeWave Smart Phone survey showing a rapidly evolving two-horse race between the Apple (AAPL) iPhone and the Research in Motion (RIMM) BlackBerry — with second tier players like Palm (PALM) and a host of others being pushed to the sidelines.

The previous report showed excellent consumer satisfaction levels for the two top rated smart phone frontrunners — with Apple sporting a 79% Very Satisfied rating for its iPhone models and RIM grabbing a highly respectable 54% rating for the BlackBerry.

But what is it about these two brands that have consumers so very satisfied?

RIM BlackBerry

The ChangeWave March 2008 survey of 864 smartphone owners found by an overwhelming margin, the feature BlackBerry users like best is its exceptional access to email (56%).

No other feature came close in terms of popularity. As one owner put it, “The email integration of the BlackBerry 8800 is probably its single best feature, but I am constantly amazed at the quality of the phone itself.” Another adds “I like the seamless way my BlackBerry works with corporate email and the way you can call a number from within an email by highlighting it.”

(Detailed charts on Smart Phone Trends, along with additional ChangeWave findings can be downloaded at changewave.com/smartphone).

BlackBerry owners also reported a few key dislikes, number one being the speed and quality of its Internet browsing experience (13%). A second major dislike was the size of the keypad (11%), with owners complaining that the keys are too small and cause too many typing errors.

For example, one respondent states “The overlaid keyboard (two letters per key) and TrueType feature make my BlackBerry slow to type messages without errors.”

Apple iPhone

By far the most lauded feature of the Apple iPhone among its owners is the seamless integration of its phone, iPod and Internet browser (36%) capabilities. As one iPhone owner puts it, “The feature I use most is the iPod, but it’s the integrated whole that makes it so much fun to use.”

Another reports, “I love the iPhone. It is revolutionary. I love being able to jump on the Internet, send email, get maps, weather forecasts, instant message, and make phone calls.”

The second most popular feature is the iPhone’s touch screen interface, followed by its ease of use.

In terms of dislikes, there is no doubt about what iPhone owners hate most. It’s the speed of the AT&T (T) EDGE network. No surprise then that the number two criticism is the requirement to use AT&T. Users also expressed unhappiness with the iPhone’s lack of copy & paste functionality.

“According to our survey, both Apple and RIM are in the process of overwhelming the competition,” said Tobin Smith, founder of ChangeWave and editor of ChangeWave Investing. “Each has a super-loyal cadre of users that fervently support their brand, and each has extraordinary room to grow.”

Smith also points out that previous ChangeWave surveys have picked up a seismic shift occurring among U.S. consumers towards the high end smart phone market. “In simplest terms, that’s where the momentum lies,” he said.

While the iPhone boasts some of the highest satisfaction ratings ever seen in a ChangeWave survey, the bottom line for BlackBerry owners continues to be — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. RIM’s enormous strength in ChangeWave business user surveys (73% market penetration) strongly suggests they’ll maintain momentum in their core market going forward.

For all the iPhone’s momentum, there are still some core issues owners want to have resolved — and first among them is 3G capability. According to the survey, that’s the number one feature iPhone owners want integrated into the next generation of the iPhone (19%) — even more so than third-party software (18%), GPS functionality (15%) or email integration (10%).

The same holds true among respondents who say they are interested in, but haven’t yet purchased an iPhone. One-in-four say they are holding out to wait for the next generation iPhone (14%) or for 3G network compatibility (11%).

“The bottom line in this horse race is Apple and Research In Motion are both giant winners, while the rest of the smart phone manufacturers lose,” added Smith.

To sign-up for real-time email alerts from ChangeWave on emerging technology trends and companies, visit changewave.com/hotwire.

About ChangeWave:
ChangeWave runs a proprietary network of more than 15,000 highly qualified business, technology, and medical professionals in leading companies of select industries - credentialed experts who spend their everyday lives working on the frontline of technological change. ChangeWave surveys its members on a range of business and investment research topics, collects feedback from them electronically, and converts the information into quantitative and qualitative reports. For more information, visit blog.changewave.com.