Tag - Satisfaction
Apple Watch: study finds high satisfaction as prices fall
As noted in our Daily Deals post, prices on the Apple Watch are now being routinely discounted by as much as $100 as part of what appears to be a concentrated strategy to make the device one of the hottest gifts this holiday season. On the heels of the discounting, which has made the wearable a popular choice for gifting, comes a new study that says 62 percent of current owners plan to buy another Apple Watch as a gift for someone else. The trend could push 2015 Apple Watch sales into the range of 16 million units, though firm figures are hard to come by.
Wristly: Apple Watch has high satisfaction rate, changes lives
A more detailed report from Wristly, polling more than 2,000 Apple Watch users across three months to get a more accurate look at their use of the device, has found that high satisfaction rates initially reported in July have held up over time. The Apple Watch earned a 97 percent satisfaction rate, higher than early sat rates for other Apple devices, such as the initial releases of the iPhone and iPad. Usage data reveals that most owners find themselves checking the activity rings far more than they originally thought they would.
ACSI: Apple, Samsung tied for best customer satisfaction
The American Customer Satisfaction Index ranking for the Telecommunications and Information industry sector this year is now available, and shows Apple and Samsung tied with equal customer satisfaction scores of 80 out of 100. Samsung's Galaxy Note 4, however, beat out the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus on individual model satisfaction, scoring 86 compared to the iPhone 6 line, the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S5, all of which scored 82.
Apple again tops in PC customer satisfaction, but some rivals gaining
For the 11th year in a row, Apple has topped the satisfaction ratings in the most recent American Customer Satisfaction Index rating buyer happiness with PC purchases, including tablets. Noting a slight uptick in overall satisfaction with desktop computers, ACSI Chairman Claes Fornell could not say if desktop PCs are poised for a comeback or if consumers who disliked being bound to a desk have simply moved on to other devices. Apple has won the top slot every year since 2004.
Survey: iPhone much more well-liked than Samsung in Korea
Once again, Apple's iPhone has outperformed South Korea's own Samsung in a user satisfaction survey comparing the latest models from the two rivals. In fact, the iPhone 5s widened the gap from a similar survey a year ago, scoring 798 out of a possible 1,000, while Samsung scored 600 (last year, the score was 778 to 592). Some 88.2 percent of iPhone owners said they were satisfied with their purchase, compared to 52.3 percent of Galaxy S5 owners.
Apple takes top spot in satisfaction survey for 10th straight year
For the tenth year in a row, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) has awarded Apple the top spot for customer satisfaction in the personal computing sector. The satisfaction score for Apple -- 87 -- is one point higher than the company scored last year, and a full eight points higher than the overall industry average. The overall industry score fell 1.3 percent, driven by declines in customer satisfaction with Dell and Acer, while HP and Toshiba managed to gain single percentage points over their 2012 score.
Experian: iOS users spend more time on their devices than Android
Seemingly supporting Apple CEO Tim Cook's remarks that the true measure of a successful product is less about just sales and more about customer satisfaction and use, credit agency and market analyst Experian has reported that iPhone users spend just over 50 percent more time on their devices than Android smartphone. While the results are open to interpretation, the other finding of the study may be more surprising: contrary to theories that claim Android users are fundamentally different than iOS users, the study shows largely similar usage patterns.
Study: Apple, HP tops in 'computer experience' ratings
A study of 10,000 US computer users by customer satisfaction analyst Tempkin Group has once again ranked Apple as the top manufacturer for overall "computer experience" quality, which is defined as having excellent functionality, being accessible and generating the strongest positive emotions. This is the third year running that Apple has topped the list, but HP took second place -- losing by only two percentage points, and with a higher "functionality" rating than Apple. Sony and Lenovo were ranked least favorably of the 10 manufacturers rated.
Reports: iPad least repairable, least likely to need repair
Repair and how-to guide site iFixit has compiled their teardown and repair-guide results on the top tablets into one comprehensive report, and ranks Apple's iPad lineup (with the exception of the original iPad) very poorly for repairability, though it is Microsoft's Surface Pro tablet that gets the lowest possible mark. The Windows 8-based Dell XPS 10 gets the highest marks for being easy to disassemble, but is dinged (like most tablets) for having the LCD fused to the protective glass layer. Offsetting this, a number of studies have shown the iPads to be by far the most reliable tablet.
Apple tops ACSI survey on cellphone makers by a wide margin
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) has released its latest findings on the state of US consumer satisfaction in the areas of cellphone manufacturers and wireless carriers. For the former, there was one runaway winner -- Apple. For the latter, Sprint was able to score a win among a tight field. Overall satisfaction was up an incremental 0.1 percent to a 75.9 score out of a possible 100.
Now AAPL Stock: 155.98 ( -3.78 )
Cirrus creates Lightning-headphone dev kit
Apple supplier Cirrus Logic has introduced a MFi-compliant new development kit for companies interested in using Cirrus' chips to create Lightning-based headphones, which -- regardless of whether rumors about Apple dropping the analog headphone jack in its iPhone this fall -- can offer advantages to music-loving iOS device users. The kit mentions some of the advantages of an all-digital headset or headphone connector, including higher-bitrate support, a more customizable experience, and support for power and data transfer into headphone hardware. Several companies already make Lightning headphones, and Apple has supported the concept since June 2014. http://bit.ly/29giiZj
Apple Store app offers Procreate Pocket
The Apple Store app for iPhone, which periodically rewards users with free app gifts, is now offering the iPhone "Pocket" version of drawing app Procreate for those who have the free Apple Store app until July 28. Users who have redeemed the offer by navigating to the "Stores" tab of the app and swiping past the "iPhone Upgrade Program" banner to the "Procreate" banner have noted that only the limited Pocket (iPhone) version of the app is available free, even if the Apple Store app is installed and the offer redeemed on an iPad. The Pocket version currently sells for $3 on the iOS App Store. [32.4MB]
Porsche adds CarPlay to 2017 Panamera
Porsche has added a fifth model of vehicle to its CarPlay-supported lineup, announcing that the 2017 Panamera -- which will arrive in the US in January -- will include Apple's infotainment technology, and be seen on a giant 12.3-inch touchscreen as part of an all-new Porsche Communication Management system. The luxury sedan starts at $99,900 for the 4S model, and scales up to the Panamera Turbo, which sells for $146,900. Other vehicles that currently support CarPlay include the 2016 911 and the 2017 models of Macan, 718 Boxster, and 718 Cayman. The company did not mention support for Google's corresponding Android Auto in its announcement. http://bit.ly/295ZQ94
Apple employees testing wheelchair features
New features included in the forthcoming watchOS 3 are being tested by Apple retail store employees, including a new activity-tracking feature that has been designed with wheelchair users in mind. The move is slightly unusual in that, while retail employees have previously been used to test pre-release versions of OS X and iOS, this marks the first time they've been included in the otherwise developer-only watchOS betas. The company is said to have gone to great lengths to modify the activity tracker for wheelchair users, including changing the "time to stand" notification to "time to roll" and including two wheelchair-centric workout apps. http://bit.ly/2955JDa
SanDisk reveals two 256GB microSDXC cards
SanDisk has introduced two 256GB microSDXC cards. Arriving in August for $150, the Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Premium Edition card offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s for reading data. The Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card can read at a fast 100MB/s and write at up to 90MB/s, and will be shipping sometime in the fourth quarter for $200. http://bit.ly/294Q1If
Apple's third-quarter results due July 26
Apple has advised it will be issuing its third-quarter results on July 26, with a conference call to answer investor and analyst queries about the earnings set to take place later that day. The stream of the call will go live at 2pm PT (5pm ET) via Apple's investor site, with the results themselves expected to be released roughly 30 minutes before the call commences. Apple's guidance for the quarter put revenue at between $41 billion and $43 billion. http://apple.co/1oi1Pbm
Twitter stickers slowly roll out to users
Twitter has introduced "stickers," allowing users to add extra graphical elements to their photos before uploading them to the micro-blogging service. A library of hundreds of accessories, props, and emoji will be available to use as stickers, which can be resized, rotated, and placed anywhere on the photograph. Images with stickers will also become searchable with viewers able to select a sticker to see how others use the same graphic in their own posts. Twitter advises stickers will be rolling out to users over the next few weeks, and will work on both the mobile apps and through the browser. http://bit.ly/29bbwUE
