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Unseen iPhone 'better than your current mobile'
A triumph of style over substance?

By Jo Best

Published: Friday 25 May 2007

Consumers have never seen one, touched one or even got the full details of what it is and how it works - but apparently almost everyone thinks it's better than the one they've got now.

According to research from analyst house Strategy Analytics, 90 per cent of mobile users said they believe the forthcoming iPhone will be better than the mobile they currently have.

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The research also found more than 40 per cent of individuals rate the iPhone much better across key functional categories - including music player, web browsing, voicemail and phone call management than their own phone.

It's unclear how consumers have made their value judgement given that, to date, only a handful of Apple execs have been given an iPhone handset to use. The device itself is yet to be released to the public and no firm launch date has been set beyond the company saying it will appear in June.

Consumers aren't happy with every aspect of the iPhone, however. Strategy Analytics found they balk at the cost - the phone will be sold at two price points, $499 for a 4GB device and $599 for an 8GB version.

Other industry watchers have also queried the pricing of the handset. A report from Harris Interactive suggested 40 per cent of would-be iPhone buyers would wait for the price to come down before putting their hand in their pocket.