Apple users defect to HTC as Windows 7 Mobile loses to Android smartphone OS

Smartphone users are an increasingly fickle bunch according to a new survey carried out by GfK. It found that only a quarter of smartphone users planned on staying put with the same handset operating system when it came time to buy their next new phone.

Although Apple has long enjoyed brand loyalty from many of its customers, it seems that the devotion to the iPhone may well be on the slide, with HTC now being the most searched for smartphone brand around the globe.

With the GfK survey indicating that 56 percent of consumers have no idea what their next phone will be it suggests that the battle for smartphone supremacy could still be won by any of the current contenders. However, Microsoft looked to be doing less well than some of its rivals, with only 21 percent of those surveyed saying that they planned to upgrade to the new Windows Phone 7 OS.

Conversely, 59 percent of Apple iPhone users intend to stick with their beloved Apple and its iPhone, although a contributing factor to that is the determination by the US computing giant to tie people into using their iTunes software for entertainment duties.

However, Android continues to be the operating system software that is doing most business, with reports today from UK retailer MobilesPlease revealing that smartphones running the Android OS are outselling Windows Mobile 7 phones 15 to 1. Symbian is still holding its own too, with a 3 to 1 ratio against the new Microsoft OS.