Apple tops for smartphone satisfaction

Stephen Withers
Friday, 07 November 2008 06:38

IT Industry - Market

"Given that smartphones are actual mini-computers, it's not unexpected that users experience software-related issues," said Parsons.

"However, with the increasing number of features and applications that can be used on these devices, both the devices and software platforms will need to be more reliable if market penetration of smartphones is to increase over time. It's critical for manufacturers to offer a complete package of functionality that is easy to use and has minimal operation malfunctions," he added.

But talking of developers, there's a considerable untapped market here. Only 34 percent of smartphone owners said they download third-party software.

When they do, it's most likely to be a game (49 percent), followed by business applications (43 percent) and travel-related programs (36 percent).

While the average reported purchase price for smartphones has fallen from $US261 in 2007 to $US216 in the present study, the pattern of subsidised and outright purchases was not reported, making it difficult to draw any useful conclusions.

Still, Apple owners reported the highest average purchase price at $US337 - there must have been a fair proportion of first-gen iPhone owners in the sample for it to be that high.

For the record, Motorola was the cheapest with an average price of $US169.

The study, carried out during August and September, was based on responses from 1388 business wireless customers who currently own a smartphone.