A new survey of the Smartphone market by ChangeWave shows big leaps in demand for the Apple iPhone 4 and HTC’s Droid Incredible in the next 90 days. This comes at the expense of Motorola and RIM.

The report, which surveyed 4,028 consumers, shows key transformations in mobile OS preferences with a huge increase in demand for the Apple OS, and an accelerating downturn for the RIM OS platform.

16.4 per cent of respondents to the survey said they planned on buying a Smartphone in the next 90 days. 52 per cent of respondents said they would buy an Apple iPhone, up 21 points since ChangeWave’s last survey in March. And 19 per cent said they would buy an HTC model, registering a jump of 7 per cent. Only 9 per cent said they would buy a Motorola, a decline of 7 points. The biggest loser is RIM, registering an 8 point drop with only 6 per cent saying they would buy a Blackberry.

Since its last survey in March, ChangeWave records a 34 per cent increase for Apple’s market share of mobile phones, while RIM has dropped by 4 points to 34 per cent.

Meanwhile Android phones continue to have a major impact on the market, with HTC grabbing 8 per cent of the market with its new Droid Incredible and EVO models, while Motorola remains unchanged at 6 per cent with its Droid model.

Palm has also been buried in the momentum created by Apple and HTC. For the first time in a ChangeWave survey, Palm registered less than 1 per cent of planned smart phone purchases.

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Satisfaction among existing customers helps explain much of the shift in momentum in the Smartphone market. The Apple iPhone continues to lead all other cell phone manufacturers, with 73 per cent of owners reporting they are ‘very satisfied’ with their iPhone.

39 per cent of HTC’s customers said they were ‘very satisfied’, followed by 34 per cent of Motorola’s customers, and 34 per cent of Palm customers.

In a clear sign of what’s hurting RIM most, the Canadian manufacturer has fallen to sixth place in terms of customer satisfaction (30 per cent) – their seventh consecutive quarterly decline.

The combined momentum of these latest Apple and HTC offerings has catapulted consumer interest in Smartphones to unprecedented levels. ChangeWave said it has recorded an all time high for planned consumer purchases.

However, Motorola which previously held the lead with sales of Android phones, plans to fight back with its new Droid X device – featuring a 4.3-inch display, which the company believes is ideal for watching video.
However, the Blacberry appears to have lost its ‘cool factor’ and RIM will have to offer consumers a highly compelling offering to beat Apple and HTC.