"Apple is the most desired brand in emerging markets", claimed a research report by Upstream.
The research was quoted by various news sources, including the Telegraph, which stated that 32 percent of the 4,500 users surveyed in Brazil, India, China, Nigeria and Vietnam said they preferred an Apple device over Samsung, Nokia, HTC, Sony Ericsson and Blackberry. Samsung claimed the second spot, with 29 percent of users rooting for it.
BGR reported that Apple fared the best in China where 42 percent surveyed users termed it their most coveted brand.
A press release from Upstream said that users in emerging markets consider device functionality as the primary reason for purchase while in the West the brand status is a determining factor.
"Functionality is the primary reason for the majority of consumers (Brazil: 44%, Nigeria: 47%, Vietnam: 48%, China: 46% and India: 48%), with nearly half of consumers stating this is the most important motivation for purchase," the release said.
The release also quoted Marco Veremis, CEO, Upstream, as saying, "The race to emerging market consumers is truly underway after several announcements from handset manufacturers, content providers and notably Facebook - all of who are developing devices or mobile content specifically for consumers in these regions."
"However, blindly approaching new markets without obtaining granular insights into what people in these regions actually want and acknowledging what is important to them will lead to challenges along the way," he added.
The research on trends in emerging markets also found that while Apple phones are most desired, the availability of low-cost Android devices has made the Google Play Store very popular.
"In the age-old Android vs. IOS rivalry in the UK and US, the data finds that in emerging markets, just 28 per cent of consumers are using Apple's App Store," the release said.
