Skip navigation
MOST POPULAR RELATED TAGS
  • TOPICS
  • SECTORS
  • COMPANIES
Tech Check Video Gallery
The titans of tech are set to report next week, with CNBC's Jim Goldman and the Fast Money traders.
CNBC's Jim Goldman has this week's check on the tech sector.
TECH CHECK STOCK INDEX
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

TECH CHECK VIDEO

» More

Current DateTime: 07:47:38 11 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 31047929
Expiration DateTime: 7/11/2009 7:48:29 AM

RSS FEED

» Help

Current DateTime: 07:47:39 11 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 31047922
Tech Check
Text Size
Nov.06
12:57 PM ET
Thursday, 6 Nov 2008
New Study Says iPhone Ranks First—For Business

IPhone 3G
Courtesy of Apple
IPhone 3G

This is a stunner for Apple and its iPhone, and just goes to show why Research in Motion and its BlackBerry have a little more to worry about: JD Power and Associates ranked the iPhone highest in customer satisfaction, not for everyday consumers as you might expect. But for "business wireless smartphone users."

Why is that significant? Remember that Apple [AAPL  Loading...      ()   ]set out to build a smartphone for consumers that hopefully business users would eventually adopt. It was a way to address the market that RIM [RIMM  Loading...      ()   ]had practically ignored by creating a business-friendly BlackBerry at the expense of the kinds of things consumers really wanted, like multimedia, cameras, games, etc. It would appear, based on the JD Power report this morning, that business users like what they see when it comes to iPhone.

The study, in its second year now, measures five key factors: Ease of operation; operating system; physical design; handset features; battery aspects. Apple ranked highest among overall smartphone customer satisfaction with a score of 778 out of 1,000, "performing particularly well in the ease of operation, physical design and handset factors." Apple was followed by BlackBerry (a score of 703) and Samsung (701).

"With the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, Apple has clearly differentiated itself from the competition in areas that are most important to business smartphone users,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services for J.D. Power and Associates says in the release. “By making basic applications and features easy to use and providing functionality in a thin, lightweight device, Apple has performed well in exceeding customer expectations."

The news from JD Power also comes amid growing concerns over iPhone production at Apple. Just yesterday, UBS released a note saying iPhone shipments could run between 4 million and 5 million units in its current quarter, down as much as 2 million units from the quarter before. That follows the call last week from FBR suggesting the same kind of slowdown.

Maybe the JD Power report will have a little influence over on-the-fence IT managers looking to trade-up handsets who can now view iPhone as a viable alternative to whatever they're using now. If they haven't started believing that already.

As an aside, I've just started using the BlackBerry Bold. It's a snappy little phone, and beats the Curve (which I was using prior) hands down. Gorgeous display, nice little tweaks to the OS, the video camera is nice and it feels great. For those of us who are still old school, and touch-screen averse, the Bold seems like a great upgrade. Pretty sure that $299 pricetag will still scare off a lot of potential customers, especially when they can get an iPhone for $100 cheaper. But if you're dyed-in-the-wool Crackberry, the Bold is a heck of a fix.

Meantime, with today's JD Power report, RIM's gotta worry about Apple, both for consumer and enterprise customers. And as I've written before, if IT managers give the nod to iPhone, can an enterprise upgrade to Mac be that far behind?

Questions?  Comments? 

© 2009 CNBC, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Tools:
PrintEmailAdd This share icon


Current DateTime: 01:06:10 11 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29778428

Current DateTime: 01:05:47 11 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29779196

Current DateTime: 07:18:53 11 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29779199

Current DateTime: 01:06:09 11 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29779198
CNBCCNBC
About CNBC  |  Site Map  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Service  |  Video Reprints  |  Advertise  |  Help  |  Contact
Partners: AOL Money  |  BloggingStocks.com
CNBC is a Division of NBC Universal
  Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis

© 2009 CNBC, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
Thomson ReutersThomson Reuters