Most of the developed world knows by now that Steve Jobs passed away in early October. And just about everyone equates Jobs with the company he co-founded: Apple.

Fewer put his name to Pixar and Toy Story, or as the largest shareholder of Disney (as a result of the purchase of Pixar).

But since he was so closely tied to the image of Apple, what has been the impact on the company’s image since he died?

At the beginning of May, iGR conducted a major survey of U.S. consumers to provide data for upcoming research reports.

Image of Apple since Jobs’ dealth

Aside from questions about use of WiFi, tablets, smartphones, applications, content and LTE, iGR also added a question about respondents’ image of Apple since Steve Jobs died.

Specifically, the question asked: How has your perception/view of Apple changed (if at all) since the passing of Steve Jobs?

iGR’s consumer survey showed that:

• 1 percent said that their image of Apple had much improved since Steve Jobs died
• 3.5 percent said their perception of the company had improved
• 84 percent said their image of the company had not changed
• 9.4 percent said that their perception has worsened
• And 1.7 percent said their perception of Apple had greatly worsened.

Obviously, with 11 percent saying their perception of Apple had worsened since Jobs died is a concern — this is a large enough group to negatively impact Apple sales.

Since the survey used a large sample size, iGR can look at the demographic splits and find more about the 11 percent:

• Those with a worsening image of Apple are 12 – 18 percent more likely to be men and to be over aged 45 years.
• The 11 percent are also likely to have higher household incomes, higher educated (at least a college degree) and married.
• Having children in the household did not seem to impact the perception of Apple.

But the good news for Apple is that the 11 percent with a worsened perception of Apple are approximately 12 percent more likely to be Android smartphone users, specifically with Samsung or Motorola smartphones.

In general, current Apple users were far more likely to fall into the ‘no change’ category than have a better or worse view of the company.

“iGR believes this is important for Apple’s future. While a significant number of people said that their perception of the company had worsened, the core Apple user base seems to be unmoved in their views of the company,” said Iain Gillott, president and founder of iGR, a market research consultancy focused on the wireless and mobile industry.

“While they may mourn the passing of Jobs, it seems that the Apple faithful are staying put.”