People love the iPhone, or so according to recent surveys done to gauge overall consumer reaction to the groundbreaking gadget. And if we many add, the results of the survey are more than telling.

90% of 200 surveyed users - that's 180 people have voted either "extremely" or "very" satisfied with their newly-purchased iPhone.  And practically the same percentage also voted that they're "extremely" or "very" likely to recommend Apple's latest brainchild to their friends and families.

These figures are all from the online survey conducted and paid for by Interpret, a market researching firm based in Santa Monica, California. And of course, Apple's happy with these turn of events.

Apple VP Worldwide Marketing for the iPod and iPhone Greg Joswiak explained that positive word-of-mouth is critically important to any product's success. And he's right - not only does it build a circle of trust between Apple and its customers, it's free advertising.

There's also the added boon of the iPhone's success converting people into Apple consumers, what with 3 out of 10 buyers being first-time Apple product buyers. Definitely good news for Apple, as well as those of us still iffy on purchasing one.

Sure, the iPhone has its cons, what with the rather hefty US$ 599/499 price tag, but for quality that people love, the price may be just right.