A recent survey conducted by CNW Marketing Research of Bandon, Ore. recently established that owning an Apple iPhone makes one's popularity among the youth soar by a whopping 70%. Another surprising revelation is that the Survey has found electronics to have a higher desirability rating than cars.

When this survey was conducted last 2000, 35% of all 16- to 29-year-olds gave word that a new car impressed their friends. There was a shift in priorities from then till now with the most popular possession being cellphones. This is followed by electronic games (27%), iPods (26%), footware (24%), computers (23%), and finally new cars (20%).

Apparently car manufactures now have to compete against non-transportation items to sell vehicles. CNW general manager Art Spinella gave an explanation on this trend saying that "in the highly sensitive, fashion-oriented youth market, the most bang for the envy buck is usually something that can be worn, keyboarded, or heard."

Is this just a fad with the recent iPhone's release or could it be the underlying trend that the youth today have slowly been gravitating towards? We'll have to wait and see how this develops.