A study performed by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners on Monday shows that 30 percent of customers currently using the iPhone 4S have upgraded from the iPhone (News - Alert) 4 through their cell phone providers. Most of these providers have an early termination fee that must be paid in order to upgrade before the end of a phone contract. It seems that many customers felt it was worth the trouble, and this surely has made many cell phone providers happy after their pockets inflated.

The average early termination fee for the iPhone 4 is pegged at around $325. This price decreases by $10 every month. Considering that the iPhone 4S came around approximately 16 months later, you’d be paying $175 or more for the termination fee associated with the previous phone model. Customers using Verizon (News - Alert), for example, had to whip out at least $270 to upgrade because of the iPhone 4’s delayed release.

Besides the customers who upgrade, another 40 percent of current iPhone 4S users bought their phones through outlets like the Apple (News - Alert) store and Best Buy. One fourth of these item purchases were made through Apple outlets. More than 20 percent of the people who bought the new iPhone got the 64 GB version. If you look at other phone versions besides the iPhone 4, 78 percent of all iPhone 4S purchases were upgrades from any older version of the iPhone.

To further emphasize the “frenzy” aspect of iPhone 4S purchases, the study continues to show that 37 percent of all iPhone 4S purchasers switched their cellular carrier simply to purchase the new phone. It seems fanatical, but this happens frequently when a new “hot” phone hits the market. Apple makes a selling point with the iPhone as iPhone users start to become more interested in other products by the company, such as the Macbook and iPad.