77% of iPhone 4 Buyers Are Upgrading from Earlier Models

A survey by Piper Jaffray suggests that most early iPhone 4 buyers were upgrading from previous iPhones and that very few were switching to AT&T from other carriers. About 77 percent of iPhone 4 buyers polled in three cities (San Francisco, New York, and Minneapolis) were upgrading from old iPhones.

That's up from 56 percent last year and 38 percent in 2008, and represents brand loyalty that is likely unmatched in the mobile industry.

About 16 percent of buyers were switching to AT&T from other carriers, down from 28 percent last year.

Some 54 percent purchased the $299 32 GB model, up from 43 percent who bought the 32 GB iPhone 3GS last year.

About 28 percent of iPhone 4 buyers owned an iPad, which confirms that the people waiting in line were the most serious of the Apple fanatics. Of the 72 percent who did not own an iPad, 39 percent said they would probably buy one within the next year, while 61 percent said they would not.

About 65 percent were Mac owners, down from 75 percent at the first iPhone launch in 2007.

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