It's now been nearly three months since BlackBerry (BB -3.14%) unveiled its new BlackBerry 10 platform -- the same operating system that the entire company is riding on. The company has also boosted its marketing efforts in the hopes of regaining consumer mindshare and relevance, attempting to shed the perception that it's stuck in the past.
A new survey conducted by MKM Partners analyst Michael Genovese doesn't bode well for the smartphone maker. Genovese polled 1,500 domestic consumers regarding smartphone ownership and purchasing plans. An incredible 83% of respondents weren't even aware that BlackBerry had launched BB10 in Canada and Europe in January. As a follow-up question, 68% of respondents said they weren't even interested in or curious about the new platform.
BlackBerry isn't the only one being ignored; Microsoft (MSFT -2.45%) Windows Phone hardly fared better. Of respondents, 61% didn't know that the software giant had released its new Windows Phone 8 platform, with 64% not really caring to learn more about it. That lack of interest will hurt Nokia (NOK -0.27%) more than anyone else, since the Finnish company is the predominant seller of Windows Phones.
Unsurprisingly, Apple (AAPL 0.52%) and Samsung earned the highest ownership scores. Within the sample size, 51% of people own a smartphone, with another 37% planning on making the plunge within the next year. Of current smartphone owners, a third own iPhones and 28% own Samsung devices.
The data reinforces the continued duopoly in the U.S. smartphone market, which mirrors the Apple and Samsung hegemony throughout the rest of the world. That's in part why the analyst has "sell" ratings on both BlackBerry and Nokia. BlackBerry shares fetch a $10 price target, while Nokia shares are worth about $3, according to Genovese.
Both companies are in the midst of attempted turnarounds, but they will only be possible if consumers actually know and care about their new platforms.
