iPhone tops Pre, all comers in customer satisfaction
By Ronald O Carlson
When it comes to Apple’s world-changing handsets, there’s a huge divide between how users feel about the device itself and how they perceive the attendant service providers. Interestingly, a just passing grade for Apple turns out to be Palm’s best product rating ever — it’s all a matter of perspective.
Quoting ChangeWave Research and RBC Capital smartphone customer satisfaction survey data, Wired reports that of 200 iPhone 3GS users queried, 99 percent (198) said they’re satisfied with the device. Of these folks, 82 percent said they are in fact very satisfied and that’s a number that holds true for users of Apple’s iconic Macintosh computer line, as well.
Interestingly, 80-plus percent customer satisfaction ratings are par for Apple and I suspect considered to be a merely passing grade for the notoriously fickle company and its detail obsessed CEO Steve Jobs.
That said, Palm’s Pre pulled an 87 percent general satisfaction rating from users with 45 percent overall saying they’re very satisfied with the handset.
“It is the highest score ever recorded in our Palm satisfaction surveys and above all other manufacturers except Apple and RIM,” writes RBC analyst Mike Abramsky.
Wired’s write up doesn’t mention how RIM scored, which I guessing is ChangeWave’s “buy the report” (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) come on.
Casting shadows
That said, it bears remembering that exclusive Palm Pre reseller Sprint has been rated the poorest among the top carriers in the U.S. and AT&T, Apple’s exclusive partner here, pulled a rating only slightly better.
So, what accounts for the iPhone’s overwhelmingly satisfied user base (twice as satisfied as the Pre)? I could be wrong, but I’m guessing it’s the apps.
What’s your take?
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August 17th, 2009
Funny comment about the carriers. According to the survey Sprint’s network is considered a positive for Pre while AT&T’s network is considered _the largest_ negative of the iPhone.
Regarding the survey itself, I’m not sure that either 200 iPhone users or 40 Pre users is really a large enough sample size for meaningful data. There’s also no mention of how the survey respondents were selected nor the exact text of the questions which leaves it up to debate if the data presented is statistically valid.