Twenty-one percent of broadband households intend to purchase a smartphone by year’s end, according to the report. Of those intending to purchase a new smartphone in the next four months, 28 percent report an iPhone preference, 23 percent want a BlackBerry and 20 percent want an Android-based phone.

“The smartphone market remains very competitive,” said Mindi Sue, marketing manager at Parks Associates, Dallas, TX.

“The result showed that Blackberry was the No. 1 brand sold in the first half of 2010, largely thanks to its strong position among business and professional users,” she said.

The study found that, on average, buying households purchased 4.3 consumer electronics products and spent $1,094 in the first half of 2010.

Smartphones were a top purchase across most demographic segments, particularly among younger consumers, and 3-4 percent of broadband households bought at least one Apple iPad tablet.

Consumer electronics
In general, consumer electronics buying in the U.S. rebounded in the first half of 2010, with 63 percent of broadband households making at least one purchase, a rate 6 percent higher than in the first half of 2009.

Of all smartphone owners, 55 percent consider the ability to download mobile applications as an important factor when purchasing a smartphone.

This figure jumped from 29 percent in 2008. Indeed, anytime and anywhere connectivity is so popular that over one-half of smartphone owners reported they use their mobile phones to access the Internet on a daily basis.

Additionally, the use of data services strongly correlates with age.

A majority of broadband users ages 18-34 (52 percent) now browse the Internet from their phones as compared to only a tiny minority of those 55-plus (7 percent).

“Research in Motion faces increasing pressures from Apple’s iPhone and the wide offering of Android devices,” said Ms. Sue said. 

“When asking the brand that smartphone intenders expect to buy, Apple iPhone overtakes RIM BlackBerry and Android phones as intended brands in 2010,” she said.