Citing the findings of a ‘smartphone brand loyalty survey’ conducted by Crowd Science, an Arstechnica article has revealed the waning brand loyalty of the existing BlackBerry users – with 40 percent would switch to the Apple iPhone if given a chance; and almost one-third of them would go in for the Android-based Google Nexus One.

While the survey notes that Research in Motion (RIM)’s BlackBerry currently holds the maximum market share; it also highlights that a majority of the BlackBerry users would probably be only too happy to try out a different smartphone platform.

The survey also revealed that while 77 percent of BlackBerry users and 66 percent for iPhone users mostly used their handsets for both work and personal reasons; 7 percent BlackBerry and 1 percent of iPhone owners use their devices exclusively for official purposes; and 16 percent BlackBerry and 33 percent iPhone users used their devices for “exclusively personal” purposes.

Meanwhile, the Crowd Science survey also showed that BlackBerry users intend switching brands at the end of their contract; the iPhone and Android iPhone users would like to re-purchase their respective brands.

Noting that the “allure of the iPhone” and the rising popularity of the Google Android-based devices has dented BlackBerry’s brand loyalty, the Crowd Science chief executive John Martin said: “Blackberry as a brand just isn't garnering the loyalty seen with other mobile operating systems.”