BlackBerry for guys, iPhone for gals?

A recent survey by consumer electronics shopping site Retrevo pits the sensible BlackBerry against the sexy iPhone. It finds the typical iPhone owner is a woman whose personal life is highly connected to her iPhone. But the typical BlackBerry owner is a man who cares chiefly that his BlackBerry is well connected to his company's enterprise e-mail system.
11/5/2009 6:00:00 AM By: Tom Kaneshige

The "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" stereotypes in Apple's famous ad campaign have nothing on the findings from a new study of BlackBerry and iPhone owners.

The survey, done by consumer electronics shopping site Retrevo, finds that the typical iPhone owner is a woman whose personal life is highly connected to her iPhone. The typical BlackBerry owner, on the other hand, is a man who cares chiefly that his BlackBerry is well connected to his company's enterprise e-mail system, the study concludes.

Retrevo asked 445 smartphone owners a range of questions about their lifestyles, demographics and smartphone habits. Even personal questions about, say, breaking up with a girl or guy via a text message or whether or not potential romantic partners' gadgets make them attractive were fair game.

According to this survey, five key findings help paint a picture of the "think different" iPhone owner and the "down to earth" BlackBerry owner. Yet Retrevo is quick to add that stereotypes can be terribly unfair.

1. BlackBerry for Guys, iPhone for Gals

Three out of five BlackBerry owners are men, while a little more than half of iPhone owners are women, Retrevo says. It's anyone's guess, of course, why this is the case. The Retrevo survey, however, alludes to an age old problem: gender inequality in business.

"It could have something to do with a larger number of males in corporate America using company phones connected to enterprise systems or that iPhones are just more fun to use," the survey says.

Although the iPhone has made gains recently in business, it's true that the BlackBerry is the reigning corporate champ. A survey of 600 smartphone users conducted by Compete earlier this year found that 73 per cent of iPhone owners use their iPhones mostly for personal reasons like entertainment. In comparison, 59 per cent of owners of BlackBerry and other similar smartphones use their devices primarily for work-related needs.

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