U.S. consumers towards the high-end smart phone market. In simplest terms, that's where the momentum lies.

And as consumers gravitate towards quality multidimensional cell phones– i.e., smart phones–our research shows both Apple and Research In Motion are the big winners. In other words, just as the Apple iPhone has captured the hearts and minds of its user base, so has the RIM BlackBerry.

RIM BlackBerry: While the Apple iPhone boasts some of the highest satisfaction rates we've ever seen in a ChangeWave survey, the bottom line for RIM owners continues to be, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Respondent PAN18809 demonstrates RIM's extraordinary hold over business users when he writes, "My BlackBerry enables one simple truth - work is something I do, not someplace I go."

RIM's enormous strength in our ChangeWave business user surveys (73% market penetration) strongly suggests they'll maintain momentum in their core market going forward.

Apple iPhone: For all its momentum, there are still some core issues iPhone 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 e-mail 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%).

That's great news for Apple–assuming that the next generation of the iPhone is 3G compatible. Stay tuned. We'll know in June.

But the bottom line in this horse race is that Apple and Research In Motion are both giant winners. The rest of the smart phone manufacturers lose.

For the latest breaking news from ChangeWave, go to: http://blog.changewave.com

Jim Woods co-wrote this article.

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