Nearly half of consumers in Asia Pacific intend to buy a smartphone in 2011

"Penetration of smartphones stands at more than 40 percent in Western Europe and 38 percent in the U.S. as consumers snap up the latest models and download apps. While fewer than 20 percent of Asia Pacific mobile users currently have smartphones, interest in upgrading is high: nearly half of consumers intend on buying a smartphone in 2011, according to Nielsen research.
In our recent brand surveys, iPhone was second amongst all handset brands in Vietnam in terms of top-of-mind recall, while in Indonesia BlackBerry was in fourth place, ahead of many longer established handset brands. Mind share will likely play a key role in determining which brands will do well in the region, and the iPhone and BlackBerry have much higher mind share relative to their current market positions. For example, in Malaysia, Apple and BlackBerry only have 3 percent and 1 percent share of the smartphone market respectively. But 17 percent and 11 percent of smartphone users would choose Apple and BlackBerry, respectively, as a first choice for their next phone."

Source:  Blog post by Nielsen, 12th July 2011