BlackBerry Storm vs. Apple iPhone

In fairness to RIM, the average very satisfied rating for other BlackBerry phones (52%) is far higher than the Storm, and previous ChangeWave surveys have found the Blackberry brand ranks above all other cell phone manufacturers, except Apple.

The survey results also show that RIM made the right choice in producing a touch-screen phone. Forty-nine percent of respondents said the touch-screen interface is what they like best about their new BlackBerry.

But the touch-screen interface may also be one of the Storm's downfalls. When asked what they disliked most about the device, owners cited the lack of a QWERTY keyboard (21%), touch-screen interface (20%) and difficult to use (20%) as the top issues.

According to one respondent, "The touch-screen interface is tough to get used to, and even after you do get used to it, it's slow to respond."

Another said, "I was very unsatisfied until I upgraded the firmware. The phone wasn't ready and had numerous glitches, though after the updates it was much improved. Had they not updated the firmware, I would have returned it."

Other Storm buyers were far less forgiving, with 4% of respondents saying they had already returned or exchanged their device or were very likely to do so. Another 7% said they were somewhat likely to take it back.

But despite the mediocre reviews, the survey shows the Storm still has considerable market potential, with 3% of all consumers surveyed saying they're very likely to buy the Storm in the future, and 14% saying they're somewhat likely to purchase one.

So, if RIM can fix those glitches and bugs, its newest offering still has the potential to storm the market in 2009.

Paul Carton is the Director of Research for the ChangeWave Alliance Research Network.