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Apple

One in 10 iPhone owners ‘very likely’ to buy an Apple Watch

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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December 1, 2014, 11:09 AM ET

There are several surprises in the survey results issued Monday by UBS’ Steve Milunovich. Of an initial 4,000 smartphone owners drawn evenly from four countries (U.S., U.K., China, Italy):

  • Italians were most compliant responders (71%), Americans the least (33%).
  • 70% of respondents owned at least one watch, with Americans the most likely not to own (38%), Italians the least (18%).
  • 10% of smartphone owners said they were “very likely” to buy a smartwatch in the next 12 months. Another 17% were “somewhat likely.”
  • Samsung Gear was the most likely device to be purchased (37%), beating the Apple Watch in every region except China. (See below).

.

The Samsung Gear is currently the bestselling smartwatch on the market. The Apple Watch is not due out until early next year, and according to a UBS footnote the respondents in their survey weren’t told anything about the device’s features.

Below: Brand preference among likely smartphone buyers.

Screen Shot 2014-12-01 at 10.40.41 AM

Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter at @philiped. Read his Apple (AAPL) coverage at fortune.com/ped or subscribe via his RSS feed.

About the Author
By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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