Apple streaks ahead of competitors in customer satisfaction

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 20 August 2008 03:30

IT Industry - Strategy

A new survey of US consumers shows Apple dominates the PC industry when it comes to customer satisfaction. But would the results be the same if the recent iPhone 3G and MobileMe woes were included?

The research in question is the second quarter 2008 American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) compiled by the University of Michigan's National Quality Research Centre.

Apple's score of 85 is the highest ever recorded for a company in the personal computer industry, and it comes at a time when the industry average is moving downwards. As measured by ACSI, customer satisfaction increased over the last year from 79 to 85 for Apple, but fell from 75 to 74 for the industry as whole.

The number two spot was taken by Dell, which managed a small increase from 74 to 75. The 10-point difference between Apple and Dell is one of the largest between first and second in any industry measured by ACSI.

"It's hard not to be impressed with Apple," said Professor Claes Fornell, head of the ACSI. "This is product extension at its best where the new products, iPod and iPhone, are helping bring new customers to existing computer products. The fact that Apple is not dependent on the Windows Vista operating system hasn't hurt either."

There have been widespread complaints from owners of Apple's iPhone 3G (launched in July) concerning poor reception, and the company has yet to acknowledge the issue, let alone provide a cure.

Please read on to find out how other brands fared in the latest ACSI.