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Topic: Tablets

Apple top dog in tablet satisfaction, Amazon No. 2

Summary: Apple leads customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power, but Amazon's low cost has the Kindle Fire franchise creeping up. Samsung, Asus and Acer fall below the average satisfaction score.

Larry Dignan

By for Between the Lines |

Apple is the leader in tablet satisfaction for the second consecutive year, according to J.D. Power, which also highlighted how family sharing of the devices plays into the buying decision and brand loyalty.

J.D. Power measured satisfaction based on performance, ease of operation, design, features and costs.

The rankings go like this:

jdpowertablets

 

Although the actual scores aren't that different, there's basically Apple and everyone else. Amazon's Kindle HD franchise has its score as the closest to Apple. Samsung, Asus and Acer fall below the average score.

J.D. Power said Apple performed well in performance, ease of use, design and features. Amazon's score was strong due to cost.

Other odds and ends:

  • 51 percent of tablet owners share their device with at least on other person.
  • Satisfaction increases when more people use a tablet.
  • If tablet is shared by four or more people the satisfaction score is 852. If a tablet is used by one person, the satisfaction score is 824.
  • 64 percent of tablet owners were the sole decision maker in the purchase.
  • 41 percent of tablet owners show share their tablet said they will buy their next device from the same manufacturer.
  • 46 percent of tablet owners have children who also use it.
  • 20 percent of tablets are being used for business activities.
  • 31 percent of employers contribute to the purchase price of a tablet.

Topics: Tablets, Amazon, Apple, Samsung, Bring Your Own Device

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22 comments
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  • Awww no Windows???

    BOO HOO HOO LOL.
    toddbottom7
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Really?

      I thought Asus, Samsung and Acer all make Windows tablets? How can you tell they are just referring to Android tablets here? Wow, that's pretty good, so you can actually seperate out the OS type from all the other tablets? Apple and Amazon are easy, but for the other manufacturers? Don't think so. Nice try though.
      BruinB88
      Reply Vote

      • It could be....

        That Acer sell a lot of windows tablets.
        Alan Smithie
        Reply Vote

    • Winblows 8

      is a perfect gift for someone you hate
      shellcodes_coder
      Reply 1 Vote

      • Oh!!!

        Someone else chiming in who has never used it, but likes to bash it. I'd say the same about iOS, OSX, Linux and Android as well. Of course, I have used (on a constant basis) and developed on (on a constant basis) all of these over the years, hence I have the right to comment. Not saying the Windows or Windows 8 world is a panacea by any means, but it is no worse and/or no better than all the others out there.
        BruinB88
        Reply 4 Votes

        • That's our shellcodes!

          He's the Gilligan of ZDNet
          William Farrel
          Reply 3 Votes

        • shellcodes_coder is just angry

          because he had to work the drive thru window at McDonalds to cover the cost of his new gauges.
          ScanBack
          Reply 1 Vote

      • Hey isn't your McDonalds Shift Manager

        giving out a Ubuntu table to the best Fry Cook for the lunch shift?
        ScanBack
        Reply Vote

  • You might want to learn about 'standard deviations'.

    In fact, the top four are so close to the average that they're essentially tied. More to the point, the perception is that Apple isn't just ahead - they're WAY ahead and that none of the competition is even close. Past charts tend to show that was true, but now it looks like the big three have pretty much caught up with Apple.

    The other big takeaway is the mismatch between the tablet index and "Power Circle" ratings. This suggests that Apple has a lot of brand loyalty, but it's not necessarily justified by anything. People love the Apple brand, but when pressed to explain why, the reality is that Apple's products really aren't that much better than the competition.
    TheWerewolf
    Reply 2 Votes

    • Go Figure

      People like the products from a certain company and inexplicably like the company's brand, even after being shown that other companies also make products. That is a puzzler. Oh, I was talking about burger places. I mean In 'n' Out? Well okay, Tommy's or Fatburger for me.

      Mr. Dignan is fellow of erudition, I imagine he does know about standard deviations. But, if the surveyor doesn't provide, then what's a fellow to do? I'd like to know about sample size. Was it all tablet users, or did each tablet maker get a sample of 100 (or whatever becomes statistically meaningful) of their users. All tablet users could mean the average is skewed towards the maker who is selling the most. Having the same sample size for each manufacturer may distort the results regarding intentions to buy again or share or how sharing increases the likelihood of staying with the brand. Of course, they may have adjusted for disparities in share. The scores were adjusted for price.

      I haven't done the Venn Diagram, but it seems from above that the most likely sharing scenario is letting the kids have it. Now when I was a child, we had televisions as our electronic babysitters and we were damn thankful that we had that. Apple has been quite proud to show iPhones and iPads as game-playing devices and Microsoft has been very stern about their tablets as work tools. Hmmm. So that's what's wrong with kids today: they won't help Mommy with her spreadsheets.
      DannyO_0x98
      Reply Vote

      • Apologies for Imprecision

        The tablets are for work. But the covers are for typin' and dancin'!
        DannyO_0x98
        Reply 1 Vote

  • Are People Who Fill Out Surveys Representitive ?

    Or are they only representative of those who fill out surveys ?
    Alan Smithie
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Re: Are People Who Fill Out Surveys Representitive ?

      Ask any professional statistician, and they will tell you how to answer "yes" to that question. Ever wonder why these surveys always include additional questions like ones about income, what kind of job you do and so on? The frequency distribution of the answers to such questions is already known (from sources like the census), so they can be used to calibrate the answers to the rest of the survey, to decide how representative you are and weight your responses accordingly.
      ldo17
      Reply Vote

  • Re:

    The more expensive a device is, the more people will be positive about it (even though it may be unjustified). People want to justify their purchase, that's why you have so many fanboys defending their brands.
    Martijn2
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Not likely.

      What I've seen on the public review boards is that if they have ANY question on a product, no matter how expensive it is, they tend to complain about it. Apple gets more complaints than most, it seems, simply because it's Apple--the number of returns, however, show how many are truly satisfied--fewer returns than any other brand.
      Vulpinemac
      Reply Vote

  • It's Acer vs everybody else, not Apple

    I'd say it's Acer vs everybody else (Acer had a low satisfaction score, everybody else was about the same). Still very happy with my Nexus 10 tablet, especially the multiple-user feature where everyone has their own email, apps and all settings, chrome search history, etc.

    I just found out that my phone and tablet can natively play my Media Center TV recordings for use at the gym treadmill - no need to transcode to mp4 (or m4v as Apple likes to call it).
    DeaneG
    Reply Vote

    • Suuuurrre

      If u didn't know there are 100's of iOS free and paid apps that support every media file format then u are better off with you Samsung...er... Nexus POS.
      global.philosopher
      Reply Vote

  • Get Real !!!

    The top 4 are statistically tied. All 5 are way above average when you compare the 100's of tablets out there. If you choose the operating system of your choice, you won't go wrong with any of these. My favorite bang for the buck is the Asus, especially when you find 10" transformer refurbs for $150-200.
    deve@...
    Reply Vote

  • Since when can you truly share an iPad?

    If by sharing they simply mean to physically pass it from one person to another, that's stupid because it would be the same as using someone's phone. iPad's can only be setup for one user at a time. That means one user's personal email, contacts, files, pictures, etc. Especially between adults, that's a huge privacy issue.

    On the other hand, Android tablets can be shared in the truest since of the word since you can setup multiple accounts on one tablet that keeps user files and settings separate.
    laequis
    Reply Vote

  • if you put error bars with the standard deviation on those

    I'm positive acer would be the only one to be actually any different
    theoilman
    Reply Vote
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