Technophiles and Mac fans were queuing outside Apple's flagship store in London's Regent Street to get their paws on the shiny, new iPhone last week, but new research suggests the rest of the UK population may not follow suit.
Media agency Universal McCann has surveyed 10,000 internet users in 21 countries and found that demand for a convergent device such as the iPhone is actually pretty low, at least in developed markets like the UK.
Only 41% of the 500 Britons surveyed expressed an interest in owning a converged mobile handset, on par with France and South Korea. Interest in Japan, Taiwan, the US and Germany was even lower, with only 27% of Japanese respondents expressing an interest.
The interest was greatest in Mexico at 79% and similarly high in other developing markets, including Brazil and Malaysia at 72% and India at 70%.
In the UK, most people already own a mobile phone and one or more of the devices that the iPhone could replace, with 24% of respondents owning five or more devices. For example, 82% of Britons own a mobile phone and 48% own an MP3 player, the research suggests.
It's not that people don't want more from their mobile phones -some 48% said they would like iPod video capabilities on their mobile phone in future.
However, only 43% said they wanted wireless internet capability and 28% want audio-only iPod functionality.
However, demand for 3G capabilities, which are not offered by the iPhone, are far higher, topping the wish list with 50% of respondents saying they would like a 3G phone in the future.
Despite the hype surrounding the iPhone there have been reports that even sales to early adopters were slower than expected.
Sales in the UK over the weekend were "in the tens of thousands", according to the head of Apple's mobile phone partner O2.
The UK, and Europe in general, is a more sophisticated mobile market in the US and one with much higher penetration of 3G technology, which the iPhone doesn't offer.
And even in the US it's questionable whether sales have matched the hype, despite the mania on launch weekend.
Apple says it has sold 1.4 million iPhones since launch in July.
Some industry insiders say this is not enough to make it mass market given there are 300 million people in the US - though to be fair, it took Apple two years to sell its first 1.4 million iPods.
The company has forecast total sales of 10 million iPhones in calendar year 2008 but has not set targets for the Christmas retail season.
The iPhone will no doubt be a successful product that makes a lot of money for Apple but it's questionable whether it warrants the masses of attention paid to it.
Universal McCann's research is useful for a dose of perspective, though it's also possible the true impact of the iPhone will come not from the numbers sold, but from the influence it has on the future form and function of mobile phones.
The iPhone has won plaudits for its sleek interface and ease of use, integration with iTunes, and the flat-rate tariff offered by partners AT&T in the US and O2 in the UK for internet browsing.
If features like this get adopted more widely, the iPhone will have served a wider purpose, whether or not it achieves critical mass itself.
