According to the findings of a recent survey by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, while the infamous “antennagate” problem of the Apple iPhone 4 hurt the sales of the device, the limited demand for the handset was largely a result of Apple’s association with AT&T.

Based on the findings of the survey, Munster said that iPhone 4’s “antennagate” issue affected nearly 20 percent of mobile phone users – a figure that is not of much consequence in the wake of the potential sales lost because of the iPhone’s AT&T exclusivity.

The survey, which included 258 random mobile phone users in Minneapolis, found that over 60 percent of the mobile phone users said that they did not want to go in for the Apple handset simply because of the company’s exclusive contract with AT&T, which does not allow them to use another carrier, chiefly Verizon.

Noting that while 69 percent of the people surveyed said they were aware of the issues with iPhone 4’s antenna design, Munster revealed that only 20 percent of them said that the problem had negatively impacted their decision to buy the handset. 

With the survey clearly underscoring the ‘bigger’ issue related to the unavailability of the iPhone 4 on Verizon, Munster wrote: “The antenna issue is removing upside potential for iPhone units, but Verizon is actually the most significant factor limiting demand.”