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Respondents were asked to rate how likely they would be to choose different brands for their next personal mobile phone. Nokia came out as the clear leader, with almost half the respondents giving the vendor the highest rating and 84 per cent saying they were more likely than not to consider it. The Finnish firm was some way ahead of Sony Ericsson, which was followed closely by Samsung

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and then Motorola.

Apple's ratings gave it a 'mid-table' position, behind LG, but marginally ahead RIM, HP and Palm. When the responses from iPod owners are considered Apple did even better. Almost half the iPod owners in the survey said Apple is likely to be considered for their next mobile phone.

Canalys notes that given that the iPhone has not even shipped yet, the survey gives an indication of how well Apple could do if it overcomes the technical and commercial challenges that face new entrants in this market.

'Apple's rating improves dramatically when you talk to existing iPod owners,' said Pete Cunningham, senior analyst at Canalys. 'Almost half the respondents who owned an iPod rated Apple as more likely than not be considered for their next phone, compared to just 20 per cent for those who didn't have an iPod, and they were five times as likely to give Apple the highest rating. There is a lot of loyalty there that Apple can tap into.'