Teen Girls Want BlackBerries, Not iPhones

Fascinating metrics in Ofcom’s wide-ranging Communications Market Report 2011 counters the commonly-held, share-based belief that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is universally the most favoured smartphone.

Amongst UK teens, BlackBerry beats iPhone 37 percent to 17 for brand choice. “Female teens, in particular, appear to have a preference for BlackBerry handsets (44 percent),” Ofcom says. “Anecdotal evidence suggests that this preference is driven by the BlackBerry messenger service (BBM) which offers a free alternative to texting (SMS).”

And yet, app use is higher amongst teens than the adults who are iPhone’s biggest fans. That seems to point to a massive – and, perhaps, as yet unrealised – opportunity for BlackBerry App World.