Among
smartphone owners whose device has a touchscreen, satisfaction is much higher than other types of input. Touchscreen users averages
771 on a 1,000-point scale, nearly 40 index points higher than among
those whose smartphone uses other input methods, such as a text
keyboard. Currently, slightly more than one-half of owners indicate
their smartphone has a touchscreen for navigation. While not as readily
available on traditional mobile phones, satisfaction on phones with a
touch screen averages 756-53 index points higher than the industry
average.
Apple ranks highest in customer
satisfaction among manufacturers of smartphones with a score of 810, and
performs particularly well in ease of operation, operating system,
features and physical design. RIM BlackBerry (741) follows Apple in the
rankings.
LG ranks highest in overall wireless customer
satisfaction with traditional handsets with a score of 729, and performs
well in all five factors, particularly physical design, features and
operation. Sanyo (712) and Samsung (703) follow LG in the rankings.
The studies also find the
following key wireless handset usage patterns:
- Global
Positioning System (GPS) capabilities are a desired feature among both
traditional mobile phone and smartphone users. More than one-third (35%)
of traditional mobile phone owners say they want GPS features on their
next handset purchase, while 15 percent of smartphone owners say they
want GPS. - Younger users continue to be more satisfied with
their handset regardless of whether it is a traditional mobile phone or a
smartphone. Satisfaction among traditional mobile phone users 18 years
old to 24 years old is 35 index points higher than the segment average,
while satisfaction among smartphone users within the same age range is
18 index points above the segment average. - Mobile applications
continue to enhance the smartphone user experience. Sixty percent say
they download third-party games for entertainment, while 46 percent say
they download travel software, such as maps and weather applications.
Thirty-one percent say they download utility applications, while 26
percent say they download business-specific programs, indicating that
smartphone owners are continuing to integrate their device usage into
both their business and personal lives..
The
study finds that both smartphone and traditional handset owners are
increasingly using their phones for entertainment and sharing media with
friends, family and members of their social network. Among traditional
handset owners, 25 percent indicate they frequently send and receive
multimedia and picture messages, an increase of 25 percent from just six
months ago. Smartphone users are nearly twice as likely to share
multimedia messages. In addition, nearly one-fifth (17%) of smartphone
owners with touch screen-equipped handsets indicate they frequently
download and watch video content on their device, which is significantly
higher than the segment average.
"Touchcreens are ideal for those using their phone for
entertainment, as the displays are generally larger and provide a
richer viewing experience," said Kirk Parsons, senior director of
wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. "It is critical,
however, that manufacturers meet expectations with regard to providing
adequate battery life, as these large displays can drain batteries very
quickly. In addition, for customers to have a truly rewarding
experience, wireless carriers must continue to provide problem-free,
high-speed downloads, as customers rely on them to deliver content
quickly and on the go."
These two studies measure customer
satisfaction with traditional wireless handsets and smartphones
across several key factors. In order of importance, the key factors of
overall satisfaction with traditional wireless handsets are: operation
(30%); physical design (30%); features (20%); and battery function
(20%). For smartphones, the key factors are: ease of operation (26%);
operating system (24%); physical design (23%); features (19%); and
battery function (8%).
The 2010 Wireless
Smartphone Customer Satisfaction Study-Volume 1 and the 2010 Wireless
Traditional Mobile Phone Evaluation Study-Volume 1 are based on
experiences reported by 13,590 traditional mobile phone and 4,480
smartphone owners who have used their current mobile phone for less than
two years. The studies were fielded between July and December 2009. For
more information on customer satisfaction with wireless
service, wireless
retail sales, cell
phone handsets, customer
care, prepaid
wireless service and business
wireless service, please visit JDPower.com.