We're in the midst of a painful recession, but you'd never know it by looking at Apple. After news of record-breaking revenue and the massive success of the iPhone 3GS, it looks like even more good news is coming Cupertino's way. Apple's marketing has succeeded; close to half of prospective smartphone customers intend to buy an iPhone.

A study conducted by ChangeWave showed that 14% of customers planned to buy a smartphone within the next 90 days. 44% of those looking to buy a smartphone said that they wanted an iPhone. The majority of them (86%) want a 3GS, not the cheaper 3G model. This is fantastic news for Apple, and really bad news for RIM. The demand for their BlackBerry smartphones fell by roughly the same amount that iPhone demand rose.

Palm came out of the study looking good as well. The number of people who wanted a Palm smartphone doubled to 8% since the last ChangeWave study. Proof once more that the Palm Pre is making inroads in the smartphone market. Unfortunately for Palm, it's also proof that they aren't even playing in the same field as Apple.

The best news for Apple, and the most disturbing news for other mobile manufacturers, is the fact that a quarter of the people who stated they didn't want an iPhone blamed being limited to AT&T as a carrier for their decision. Once that exclusivity agreement ends we are going to see iPhone rushes the likes of which have never been seen.