European customers find great favor with Nokia mobile phones. When they think about their next phone, Nokia is at the top of their list. However, current iPod owners are much more likely to consider an iPhone, according to a recent survey in Europe.

A European survey of adult mobile phone users by Canalys revealed that, "Almost half the respondents who owned an iPod rated Apple as more likely than not be considered for their next phone, compared to just 20 percent for those who didn�t have an iPod, and they were five times as likely to give Apple the highest rating," according to Pete Cunningham, Canalys senior analyst. The results were reported by ITWire.

Despite this good news of Apple’s positive influence with iPod owners, the question arises as to whether iPhone sales will adversely affect iPod sales to the point where other competing devices can gain some traction. A different survey by Shiny Media in the UK showed that while most respondents didn’t think the iPhone would damage iPod sales, only 28.5 percent said they would actually buy another iPod after purchasing an iPhone.

While that may be true, it doesn’t seem to tell the whole story. Apple could come out with much more desirable iPods that could change people’s minds. Or the survey members could be simply reacting to the sticker shock of a new iPhone. In any case, Apple has shown that it’s a master at generating demand and differentiating products, so whether the iPhone will really affect iPod sales, in Europe or anywhere, and give competitors inroads, is likely to be a challenge that Apple will happily take on for the foreseeable future.