Rich Smartphone Users Opt for Blackberry over iPhone: Survey

Most affluent smartphone owners prefer BlackBerry over the iPhone, and Android remains the people’s choice in the middle or upper-middle income group, according to a survey.

Prosper Mobile Insights recently released a report of its “Simultaneously Media Usage Survey,” which interviewed 25,000 respondents in June.

The survey showed that Blackberry was on top for households with incomes $150,000 and up. 

Among the wealthiest group of smartphone owners, 11.3 per cent have BlackBerry, 10.9 percent own iPhones and 7.2 percent have Android smartphones.

The same is the case with the people in the income group of $100,000 to $149,000, where 21.2 percent use Blackberry and 19.1 and 15.8 per cent have iPhones and Android, respectively.

The iPhone does have a slight edge over Blackberry in the upper-middle income group of $75,000 to $99,000. About 20 percent  in this category prefer the iPhone, topping Blackberry users at 18.7 percent.

The Android, which is less preferred in the higher income group, is people’s choice in the middle-income group, whose household income ranges from $35,000 to $49,000, with 14.3 percent of smartphone owners.

While BlackBerry appeals mostly to the business class, the iPhone is gaining ground in the corporate world. But each excels at certain tasks and falters when it comes to others.

Blackberry owners, who often are professionals, businessmen or managers, are not very active users of apps or mobile online multimedia, and only 59.5 percent download apps, compared with 85 percent of the iPhone users, the survey says.

The most probable reason for Blackberry overshadowing iPhone, other than the price difference, is its multitasking ability. The iPhone doesn't allow third-party apps to run in the background, thereby forcing the user to do things one at a time, closing the running app to open another, which is a sticking point for many.