iPhone spurs search surge

Apple's iPhone is likely to prove a hit with consumers if the number of searches for its forthcoming cellular handset has anything to do with the product's popularity. One blogger recently compared search trends for Apple's iPhone with Microsoft's Windows Vista, taking into account the demographic profiles of traffic to the Apple and Microsoft websites to assess the differences in the two company's marketing strategies. One report speculated that "based on a massive surge in searches, the iPhone will be a hit," adding that "the week that Steve Jobs demonstrated the iPhone at Macworld, the volume of searches for 'iphone' soared to rank as the 55th highest volume search term overall for the week ending January 13, 2007." At least one industry analyst has displayed mixed feelings about the new device, however, questioning the economics of the Cingular/Apple partnership as well as the addressable market of the iPhone.

by MacNN Staff