J.D. Power 2012 Mobile Phone Satisfaction Survey

J.D. Power and Associates:

Satisfaction levels with battery performance differ widely between owners of 3G- and 4G-enabled smartphones. Among owners of 4G-enabled smartphones, battery performance ratings average 6.1 on a 10-point scale — considerably lower than satisfaction among owners of 3G smartphones (6.7). Part of this difference stems from the fact that new 4G smartphones use substantial battery life searching for next-generation network signals, which tend to be scarcer than 3G signals. In addition, owners of 4G-enabled smartphones use their device more extensively — they talk, text, email, and surf the Web more often than do customers with 3G smartphones or traditional handsets — which puts a significantly higher demand on the battery.

This is why I don’t think it’s a slam-dunk that the next iPhone will support LTE. Now that the iPad does, it sure seems a lot more likely that the iPhone will too. And surely many people will be expecting it. But it’s only going to fly if Apple can figure out a way to maintain current (or better) battery life.

Speaking of Apple:

For a seventh consecutive time, Apple ranks highest among manufacturers of smartphones in customer satisfaction. Apple achieves a score of 839 on a 1,000-point scale and performs well in all factors, particularly in ease of operation and features. HTC (798) follows Apple in the smartphone rankings.

When is the last time you can remember the largest company in the world leading in customer satisfaction surveys?

★ Friday, 16 March 2012