Apple Devices Earn Highest Customer Satisfaction Score Among PC and Tablet Makers

[wigby]

Apple's Macs and iPads continue to have the highest customer satisfaction score among PC and tablet makers, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index's new 2018 Household Appliance and Electronics Report.

Apple earned an ACSI score of 83 in 2018, the same score that it had last year, remaining in the lead over Amazon, Samsung, ASUS, HP, Lenovo, and more.

According to the ACSI, Apple's machines earned best-in-class ratings across "nearly every aspect of the customer experience" from device design to features and available apps.

Apple earned the highest score despite the fact that much of its Mac and iPad lineup has yet to be refreshed in 2018. We are awaiting refreshed iPad Pro models with major upgrades like an edge-to-edge design with slimmer bezels and Face ID, along with updates to the MacBook, Mac mini, and other machines.

Based on ASCI's numbers, Amazon is closing in on Apple with an ASCI score of 82, with customers satisfied with design, ease of operation, and sound/graphics quality on the company's line of tablets.

Samsung tied with Amazon, also earning a score of 82. Samsung also scores well across the customer experience, but can't match Apple on features that include operating system, preloaded apps, and data storage.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, overall customer satisfaction with personal computers (a category that includes laptops, desktop machines, and tablets) continues to earn a score of 77 on the ACSI scale.

Smartphones outpaced personal computers in customer satisfaction back in 2014, and customers continue to be more satisfied with their handheld devices, using them for more tasks that had previously been limited to computers.

Among PC owners, desktop machines earned the highest overall satisfaction score, followed by tablets and then laptops. Just 17 percent of respondents to the ACSI survey purchased a desktop computer in the last year, but customer satisfaction grew 4 percent. Satisfaction with tablets also grew 4 percent, while laptop satisfaction declined.

To create its scoring system and compile device scores, the ACSI uses data from interviews with approximately 250,000 customers each year, analyzing customer satisfaction with more than 380 companies across 46 industries.

Article Link: Apple Devices Earn Highest Customer Satisfaction Score Among PC and Tablet Makers

So why is Microsoft not even on this list? I don't own any of their products but hear mostly good things about their hardware over the last few years. Do they fall into that weird classification of not quite a tablet, not quite a PC?

 

[cmaier]

So why is Microsoft not even on this list? I don't own any of their products but hear mostly good things about their hardware over the last few years. Do they fall into that weird classification of not quite a tablet, not quite a PC?

People who don’t own them love them. People who own them report lots of problems.

 

[Maclver]

Nearest Genius Bar is 2 hours away. The FaceID even fails when I'm yawning, laying in bed, back down in bed, in the car, at my desk, everywhere. I have to have the phone perfectly in front of my face for it to work. Maybe I add a few dozen alternative faces and hope it works then? I'm not sure how many alternatives are allowed.

I put together some thoughts here yesterday and I keep thinking I jus need to adapt to FaceID but I would prefer TouchID return - http://adamchandler.me/blog/2018/09/24/technology-my-customer-sat-and-iphone-xs-watch-series-4/

You could always call AppleCare and do replacement by mail...

 

[wigby]

Yep, I have the exact same scenarios failing and I've already turned off "attention required" so I don't have to stare at the device. I keep my house like a cave.black-out curtains, limited lighting and I funnily enough, don't have any light switches so I use HomeKit for everything in my house..literally every device is on HomeKit so having to authenticate to lock my doors when the house is dark or turn the AC on or ceiling fan sucks because FaceID fails in the dark . Luckily, Apple Watch doesn't require I authenticate so I'm just using that more.

I've found Face ID to work better in the dark. It needs no visible light to work and without visible light (like bright sunlight) that could temporarily blind the cameras, it works well.

 

[I7guy]

While it’s great Apple got some kudos, the acsi uses some proprietary unknown algorithm to come up with the scores; it’s because of that I personally do not take stock in their results.

 

[wigby]

People who don’t own them love them. People who own them report lots of problems.

That's not a reason for them to not be include on the list.

 

[Feenician]

That's not a reason for them to not be include on the list.

Yes it is? It’s “customer” satisfaction, not “people who like Microsoft hardware in theory” satisfaction.

 

[otternonsense]

I'm still very curious how these surveys circulate. In the 15 years I've been using Apple stuff, nobody I know or worked with has had the honour to fill one out.

 

[wigby]

Nearest Genius Bar is 2 hours away. The FaceID even fails when I'm yawning, laying in bed, back down in bed, in the car, at my desk, everywhere. I have to have the phone perfectly in front of my face for it to work. Maybe I add a few dozen alternative faces and hope it works then? I'm not sure how many alternatives are allowed.

I put together some thoughts here yesterday and I keep thinking I jus need to adapt to FaceID but I would prefer TouchID return - http://adamchandler.me/blog/2018/09/24/technology-my-customer-sat-and-iphone-xs-watch-series-4/

It sounds like you do not fully understand how Face ID works. You cannot simply add another profile and hope it works better the same way you could add extra fingerprints to Touch ID. Face ID is always learning based on your training. If you train it wrong by introducing different looks and expressions that Face ID will expect to see, you are only fighting yourself. It doesn't create composites from a variety of looks. It creates a single profile based on changes to your face over time. If the changes are too extreme, it will either learn them and lock out other less extreme looks or it will not learn them and you will be disappointed. Face ID doesn't work great for everyone (I read your blog entry) so it might not be for you. Like AirPods, some ears just don't fit the profile quite right. Certain faces might face similar problems with Face ID and just not work as well as they should. But they do work out of the box for 95% of all users. I have a few instances when it should work but doesn't but I am also amazed at how fast and well it sometimes works when I am not looking directly at at, off angle, in bed, mounted in my car, from far away, from close, wet lens, wearing an assortment of hats, glasses, beard and more. It's very close to the 1st gen Touch ID for me - good but not super fast or super consistent. Touch ID gen 2 fixed all of those little concerns so I expect Face ID to do the same but I don't like the size of the new phones so I stuck with the X.

 

[timber]

In all fairness all main manufacturers have pretty high results and Apple's outcome is not that great considering they only sell high end stuff (that should lead to less dissatisfaction)

 

[FasterQuieter]

I misunderstood the headline here. I thought it meant people who make PCs and tablets like Apple products best. That made a lot of sense to me. If I worked in a Dell factory surrounded by all that ugly, I'd be desperate to get home to my lovely iPad.

 

[69Mustang]

That's not a reason for them to not be include on the list.

Microsoft products are on the list. Just not in an obvious way. MS products are included in the Other category. Their share of the market is too small to be counted separately. Look at almost any market share statistic. You're more than likely not going to see MS listed anywhere. Their volumes confine them to the "Other" category.

 

[MarkB786]

Of course they do. For thirty five bucks you have low expectations. Easy to exceed.

Also, nobody buys them. So both Amazon employees who own them are thrilled with them.

Desperate post.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I guess they get high marks, cause they're mostly kindles and they do absolutely nothing other then display text on screen. Kinda hard to screw that up. And the other tablets are pretty much just toddler distraction devices.

They play videos, Surf the net and you can download apps and play games on them. They are fully fledged tablets.

 

[wigby]

Microsoft products are on the list. Just not in an obvious way. MS products are included in the other category. Their share of the market is too small to be counted separately. Look at almost any market share statistic. You're more than likely not going to see MS listed anywhere. Their volumes confine them to the "Other" category.

I don't see an 'other' category here either.
[doublepost=1537886822][/doublepost]

Yes it is? It’s “customer” satisfaction, not “people who like Microsoft hardware in theory” satisfaction.

Are you saying Microsoft has no real customers or that the customers they do have do not express opinions? Either way, you make no sense.

 

[69Mustang]

I don't see an 'other' category here either.

Look right above Acer and right below Lenovo

 

[Feenician]

Are you saying Microsoft has no real customers or that the customers they do have do not express opinions? Either way, you make no sense.

No. I’m saying what the person you replied to in the first place is saying, that their seems a lot of support and backslapping for Microsoft’s hardware from people who don’t actually have it, but that many of those that do report dissatisfaction. That’s why they’re not appearing on a customer satisfaction survey. Their actual customers aren’t satisfied.

 

[macduke]

Side note, but if the difference between your top and bottom performer is only 12 points on a scale of 100, perhaps you should develop a new scale.

 

[Baymowe335]

I hope I get polled in one of these surveys. I have spent 6 days with FaceID and am sick of seeing this 10 times a day:

In every scenario that I'm not holding my iPhone, I can't unlock it. This is a huge regression from TouchID and if Apple wants less screen time, they're getting it because I just give up and do something else.

You've got issues and need to go to Genius Bar. I've had FaceID since day 1 X release and I rarely enter a passcode unless my device was restarted, new software, etc. FaceID is SOOOO much better than TouchID...I'd never want to go back.

 

[one more]

Kudos to Samsung as well, which is just 1 point behind Apple (82 vs 83), but faces a much stiffer competition in a much bigger Android market.

 

[Shanghaichica]

No. I’m saying what the person you replied to in the first place is saying, that their seems a lot of support and backslapping for Microsoft’s hardware from people who don’t actually have it, but that many of those that do report dissatisfaction. That’s why they’re not appearing on a customer satisfaction survey. Their actual customers aren’t satisfied.

Can’t say I was ever satisfied with any of my windows computers.

 

[ipponrg]

You can add a second face.

Just searched for this, and I don't have a "Setup Alternate Appearances" section on my phone. I'm on iOS version 11.4.1
[doublepost=1537889147][/doublepost]

Yep, I have the exact same scenarios failing and I've already turned off "attention required" so I don't have to stare at the device. I keep my house like a cave.black-out curtains, limited lighting and I funnily enough, don't have any light switches so I use HomeKit for everything in my house..literally every device is on HomeKit so having to authenticate to lock my doors when the house is dark or turn the AC on or ceiling fan sucks because FaceID fails in the dark . Luckily, Apple Watch doesn't require I authenticate so I'm just using that more.

I don't really have a problem with Face ID in the dark if I deliberately try to activate it. I also turned off the "attention required", and that gave me mild improvements.

 

[velocityg4]

Among PC owners, desktop machines earned the highest overall satisfaction score, followed by tablets and then laptops. Just 17 percent of respondents to the ACSI survey purchased a desktop computer in the last year, but customer satisfaction grew 4 percent. Satisfaction with tablets also grew 4 percent, while laptop satisfaction declined.

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It's interesting that PC satisfaction has grown. All you ever hear is griping about Windows 10. Griping about privacy and forced updates. As it turns out when people get these computers most are happier than pigs in ****. Most of these people will have migrated from Windows 7 although I imagine some were people holding on to XP and Vista. I was concerned about Windows 10 myself but liked it from the get go. I've been using it since the initial release. Although I went through Group Policy and the Registry to disable telemetry, kill automatic updates and knock out the lock screen meant for tablets.

These satisfaction scores would be higher if SSD were standard. They are cheap enough now. 120GB is enough for most people and 240GB is ample. Given how low prices have gotten. These should replace hard drives. At least on $500+ PCs. Apple I'm looking at you and your iMac. "Snap snap, grin grin, wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more?" - Monty Python

 

[cmaier]

Just searched for this, and I don't have a "Setup Alternate Appearances" section on my phone. I'm on iOS version 11.4.1
[doublepost=1537889147][/doublepost]

I don't really have a problem with Face ID in the dark if I deliberately try to activate it. I also turned off the "attention required", and that gave me mild improvements.

You need to be on iOS 12, which added "setup alternate appearances."

 

[Shanghaichica]

Just searched for this, and I don't have a "Setup Alternate Appearances" section on my phone. I'm on iOS version 11.4.1
[doublepost=1537889147][/doublepost]

I don't really have a problem with Face ID in the dark if I deliberately try to activate it. I also turned off the "attention required", and that gave me mild improvements.

The second face is in iOS 12.