Hard as it is to believe, Samsung is the most preferred consumer technology brand, ahead of Sony, HP and Apple, according to the “ConsumerMetrix Technology Brand Preference Index” just released by Strategy Analytics (http://www.strategyanalytics.com).

In a survey of more than 6,000 consumers in the US and Europe, Samsung received the highest overall preference rating of +41%, followed by Sony at +29%, HP at +20% and Apple at +19%. The lowest brand preference ratings were given to Lenovo (-37%), RIM (Blackberry) (-28%) and Sanyo (-26%). Respondents were asked to consider how likely they would be to choose each of more than twenty global brands when buying technology products such as computers, mobile phones and TVs.

The study identified significant regional and demographic variations in brand preference. Apple is the third most preferred brand in Italy but ranks only eighth in Germany. Apple’s popularity also diminishes in line with age: it is the second most popular brand with under-20s but ranks only tenth with over-65s.

The chart, “ConsumerMetrix Technology Brand Preference,” may be found at: http://sa-link.cc/sa2007a .S