The Apple iPhone is Australia's most popular mobile phone, a consumer survey released on Thursday found.

According to the 2011 Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index, released by Aimia, the peak industry body for Digital Content, Services and Applications in Australia, 32 percent of Australians own an Apple handset, while 28 percent own a Nokia mobile phone, with Samsung (13 percent), HTC (eight percent), Sony Ericsson ( five percent), LG (four percent), Blackberry (three percent), Motorola (three percent) and Other (three percent).

This is the first time IPhone has overtaken Nokia in the survey.

"There has been a clear shift in handset brand ownership in the last few years. Nokia ownership has been steadily decreasing, as has Motorola, while Apple has been steadily increasing in popularity since the impact of the iPhone release was first captured in 2009," the report stated.

According to the report's author, research consultant Dr Marisa Maio Mackay, almost half of the 2115 survey respondents said they owned a tablet or planned to purchase one within the next year.

She said the survey, carried out by a number of mobile phone industry groups, found a strong interest in tablet ownership, particularly among men, who make up 60 percent of tablet owners.

The report released on the same day Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, the man who introduced the iPod, iPhone and iPad to the world, died from cancer at age 56.