Apple Falls Behind Microsoft, Samsung, and Sony in New Consumer Experience Survey

[Michael Goff]

*article with Apple being highest in satisfaction*

People: "See? There's a reason why we buy Macs. You pay more, but people low you get more. Same with the iPhone and iPad. Clearly Apple knows what they're doing."

*Apple isn't first*

People: "Clearly these people were bought off. These don't matter anyway. Who cares? Apple still makes billions and billions of dollars. I bet the people who made the chart are just jealous and/or they polled stupid people. Apple clearly knows what they're doing."

 

[KdParker]

Not exactly. Windows 8.1 addressed the major complaints about Windows 8--and was well-received. Apple doesn't generally behave like that. If you don't like iOS 7.... perhaps it is not for you.

Michael

You should read my comments...I am fine with iOS7.

Just making the point that people will adjust and move on. Even the complainers.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

They are falling behind in the 'Old Customer Experience' in my opinion too...

iTunes is a mess, breaking out the iBooks and iTunesU sections into separate apps is weird. iTunes used to be so logically laid out too, and now choices are all over the place. iOS 7 was a mini disaster with the Parallax feature bobble, and the changing of fonts and other 'features' that most people disable soon after figuring out how. There seems to be some inherent want of corruption in the iTunes media database as well. I've had to rebuild twice so far in the past year or so.

I think the hardware is still excellent, but the software is on a tear to drive people to drink...

It's lost its Zen Buddhist simplicity and user friendliness and picked up too many quirks. IMO... I don't think it's because I'm getting older.

OH, and the new iMovie is, as Steve would say '****'!
[EDIT]
Someone said something nice about Windows 8?

Yeah, it's so good that Windows 7 is coming back!



AND You get $150.00 off for choosing Windows 7! Win-win...

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Apple clearly knows what they're doing

Or Apple is in the process of shooting itself in the head again, just like in the old days...

Too many products, too many directions... Look how bloated and lethargic HP has gotten. Dell too...

 

[iHateMacs]

I switched from iPhone to Samsung bacause the Apple experience was getting old.

Just more of the same all the time.

 

[Frost7]

It's because of iOS7.

Maybe if:

1) The UI appealed to more people (the sterile extra flat design turns some people off - Google Android managed to produce a more exciting flat design)
2) The OS performed as well as the predecessor (although this is fixed in 7.1)

This. It's a lot less intuitive as well. I never had a problem getting someone who had never touched iOS to quickly get the hang of iOS 5 and iOS 6. iOS 7 has been an extremely frustrating experience on that front. I could go into all the details, but I've done that enough times. It just is.

Steve Jobs and Scott Forstall had the perfect OS for non-techy people to just pick up and be able to use. Jony Ive ruined that.

 

[albusseverus]

Any survey representing Amazon as an electronics manufacturer is complete B.S.
They have one product line, which they sell at a loss.

Sony becomes less and less visible every day… but they do a lot of advertising.

I'm tired of researching these surveys - they're usually owned by publishing companies that are after more advertising from Apple, and this is part of the age-old shake-down - "we publish negative stories, until you buy more advertising".

Add to this, it's the Wall St Journal, clearly documented manipulating Apple's stock price with incorrect stories.

And, I thank MacRumors for bringing these reports to our attention, but they should do some due diligence for us, so we can see the origins of this meaningless drivel. Like that survey that showed Chromebooks were outselling MacBooks - laughable, but everyone reported it verbatim, with no research or journalism into the press release, whatsoever.

 

[linkgx1]

I see posts like this every year and have for the past 3 years. Apple's not the failing victim you guys for whatever reason think it is, and some customer satisfaction survey means nothing. Let's not make sweeping generalizations about a company's future because some survey came out that doesn't favour it. Never seen so much FUD in my life, and it's getting increasingly desperate year after year.

Aren't we a fanboy?

You're on top until you're not on top anymore. The same can be said for Dell, Sony and several other companies that no one could see 'falling'. I'm not saying that Apple is failing. What I'm saying is that it could become the victim of it's own success if it doesn't tread carefully.

 

[dysamoria]

i blame iOS 7. i spent about an hour in an Apple store with an iPad Air and liked the hardware... HATED the OS. Not only was the GUI everything i was expecting to hate about iOS 7, it was worse. And it crashed. A LOT. Even the Notes app was crashing. FFS, Apple. This is a disaster. i was going to buy an iPad and now i don't want one. i wish i'd bought the previous generation with iOS 6. i'd be happily using an iPad that looks good and works, even though it would be slightly heavier than the Air.

 

[charlitos]

Do you want to see that version of the survey because in your mind you've stacked the deck so that Apple has no choice but to come out ahead? Customer service is an individual experience. How do I feel about my experience with company X. Whether I walk into a store with 2 other customers or 200 is immaterial. How was my experience?

Bolded: That's - and here's my hyperbole - complete BS. The process you described for Samsung/Sony/Windows is the exact process that happens with any product, Apple included. 1.Try to figure out what's wrong. 2. See if someone you know can help. 3. Vendor support. 99.5% - unverifiable math - of people do it this way. That's like wanting the Ford to beat the Ferrari in a drag race - bad car analogy.

I managed hyperbole, questionable math, and a bad analogy in one post. Is there a prize or something.

No it is not the exact same process. First it derives from the premise that Apple has plenty of Apple Stores all over the place which makes it very easy for people to bring in their devices. Second, Apple has a reputation for fully replacing hardware for the slightest issues which also prompts users to try to see if they can get a brand new version of their old iProduct. Third and more importantly you do not need prove of purchase to return an Apple product. Waiting for the next bold reply.

 

[69Mustang]

No it is not the exact same process. First it derives from the premise that Apple has plenty of Apple Stores all over the place which makes it very easy for people to bring in their devices. Second, Apple has a reputation for fully replacing hardware for the slightest issues which also prompts users to try to see if they can get a brand new version of their old iProduct. Third and more importantly you do not need prove of purchase to return an Apple product. Waiting for the next bold reply.

I guess we are going to disagree. First, Apple doesn't have plenty of stores. If you don't live close to one, and a lot of people don't... scratch that. Lemme back up a bit and qualify that by saying you and I have different interpretations of "plenty". A little over 400/250 stores worldwide and US respectively, doesn't equal plenty to me, but it might to you. Walmart/Target/Staples comes to mind when I think of plenty. But Apple does have more than MS or Samsung so I will concede they're more accessible from that perspective.

Your second and third point seem to be more anecdotal filler than relevant counterpoint to my assertion that we typically follow a pattern regarding customer service no matter the vendor. Are there customers who do exactly as you suggest? Yup. But even those customer evaluate the problem to see if it can be "quick fixed" by a hard reset or complete charge down as an example. Our forums are full of the second part of the the pattern; looking for help/advice from others. A lot of times that advice is to go to Apple. So I am not saying you're wrong. I am saying the majority of people go through that process: 99.876% <- factually verified at Digitimes and bolded per your request

 

[azurehi]

My Apple interests are with iMac, iPad, macbook air and pro. Perhaps buyers of these products and "returners" of these prducts are fed up - like I am! - with the comtinuing display issues of various kinds. Why can't Apple get their Quality Control act together??

 

[applesith]

What have microsoft released thats worth bragging about? But they've increased their rating by more than Apple.

Certainly not XBox One, which is being beaten by PS4.'

Other companies are bashing apple products in their ads. I think that may subliminally work, as apple isn't exactly putting anything new out that can prove them wrong. Bigger screens and lower prices gimmicks may be working.

There always has to be a #2, but Xbox one is exactly failing.

 

[SirLance99]

I know I'm the outlier but I'm no fan of Amazon at all. I actively use other sites before them. Why? I'd rather go to the store and get it even if I have to pay slightly more for it. At least I get it there. If I have a question I could ask and maybe get an answer. If I don't like what I bought I can simply drive back and return it.

I also think that once they wipe out the competition they will start jacking up prices. And that's a bad thing. They will have to as Wall St won't take to their not making a profit forever. They are already the last of the "old school" .COM companies that cannot turn a profit.

I'll take the human interaction. While doing a recent project around the house I needed some help in an area I was unfamiliar with. Went to Home Depot (ours is quite good) and chatted with the person there and came up with a few ideas. Can't do that on Amazon.

I'd rather support the little guy than the corporate giant. It's those businesses that form the core of the USA and provide the most jobs. Buying from, say Best Buy keeps a couple hundred people in our area employed per store. How many jobs does Amazon support in your area? Hint: unless you have a hub 0. Think about that for a minute....

Home Depot the little guy?

 

[Sy7ygy]

Would you say Apple had paid the company taking the survey if they had ranked higher?

No, as there is no ascertainable belief in history of Apple cooking the book.

As for Microsoft & Samsung... Wel...

 

[sixrom]

Not really that surprising since at least some of the mentioned companies pay people to be satisfied with their products.

Thanks for the clarification.

Now I know why Samsung sent me a check for $500.00

 

[Dave.UK]

No, as there is no ascertainable belief in history of Apple cooking the book.

That you know of.

So your saying Microsoft, Samsung or Amazon paid for this survey because they did better then Apple?

 

[bawbac]

I wonder if some of this was due to the shaky start that iOS 7 had...
Plus the initial shocked reaction to the new OS.

Still they are very close to the 2nd placers.

Hope this is not a trend.

Shaky start???
My Safari still crashes randomly with one or more tabs open, Mail crashes randomly when downloading mail and various other intermittent issues.
I wished that Apple would allow people to EASILY rollback to iOS6.

 

[seangee]

Fascinatingly how these articles always seem to degenerate into bashing other company's products. The survey is about customer service and who has the best product is irrelevant.

Right now I am one of the many unhappy MBP users experiencing problems with my graphics card. IMHO Apple's customer service had been shocking in this regard. Since I have been using their products for many years and always rated their service highly my own view is that customer service had on fact deteriorated.

 

[zephonic]

I can believe that Apple is falling behind in customer support, they have grown exponentially over the last seven years and it must be hard to have after-sales support keep up with the increasing user base.

One look at Apple's career page tells you all you need to know, they need people, a lot of people.

However, if the graph is anything to go by, the consumer experience has more or less remained constant, whereas the competition improved theirs. Not sure how to read that graph, though.

That said, i have only dealt with support twice, and both times I was assisted expediently and satisfactorily.

 

[oliversl]

One of the problem with iOS7 is that Apple wasted and lost time making those cosmetic changes instead of delivering something better and more innovative.

They fire too many key people and thats why they had to rewrite most software and GUI, and at the same time the competition got better while Apple just made cosmetic changes.

You can lost money, but not time.

I don't think it's iOS7 alone that's the problem with Apple's very slight, almost minuscule loss in consumer satisfaction among its competitors. When you get right down to it, iOS7 is mostly a cosmetic change. It still performs and acts roughly the same as it did before.

I think Apple's biggest problem is that the competition is has finally reached parity with Apple on the UX front, and is starting to offer more in comparison. When you can get a phone that's just as snazzy and easy to use as an iPhone, has more handy features, and gives you more relative bang for the buck overall, well...it makes Apple look a little weak against the competition.

They've still got the best style and the major portion of market mindshare, but if Apple doesn't up their game, that won't last for long.