Studies just released by RBC Capital and ChangeWave Research polled
iPhone 3GS and
Palm Pre owners on their respective levels of satisfaction with their devices -- then compared them. In the studies, 200 iPhone 3GS users and 40 Palm Pre owners were polled. Overall, 99 percent of owners of Apple's phone proclaimed themselves to be "satisfied," while 82 percent of that number declared they were "very satisfied." The poll of Pre owners showed that 87 percent are "satisfied," and 45 percent of those owners describe themselves as "very satisfied." Interestingly, the 42 percent of "very satisfied" customers are the highest score ever attained by a Palm device, and it's a number that's only ever been bested by RIM and Apple. When asked about their respective reasons for buying their devices, Palm Pre owners listed the touchscreen interface, ability to multitask, and ease of use in the top three, while iPhone users cite its touchscreen, ease of use and faster web browsing as its biggest draws. So what about drawbacks? iPhone users (a whopping 55 percent of them, in fact) say that AT&T's network is their main gripe with the device, while Pre owners list short battery life and lack of third party apps as the devices biggest drawbacks. All in all, a pretty good showing for both -- though the microscopic sample size (especially for the Palm Pre) makes us wonder about the validity of the findings a bit.
Read - Apple's iPhone 3GS has 99 percent satisfaction rate
Read - iPhone vs. Palm Pre: Satisfaction bakeoff
posted August 14th 2009 8:02PM
yes, god forbid the surveyors would actually have to spend some more time to make an accurate survey...
Ummm... even if there were 200 Pre users surveyed, the sample size is embarrassingly small for both. You can't draw any meaningful conclusions for either phone based on that... the iPhone has a user base in the millions, and the Pre has (approximated) at least 300,000... how can this survey make any sense? I can't believe it's actually gotten all this press!
cashmonee is one of the few with enough statistical knowledge to know that a sample size of 40 is adequate enough to reveal that a device sucks.
Me thinks all those "Very satisfied" customers are swimming in a cloud of Apple smug. This tells you more about marketing those who believe it and those who treat it like stone tablets delivered from God, I mean Job..s
The 'Pre' really is a stagnant piece of tech... Don't know why anyone would buy one. The developer APIs are EXTREMELY limited due to the pre's ability to do multi tasking, which also causes EXTREMELY bad battery performance and POOR applications. Seriously, you might as well just have a dumb phone. Plus Sprint has some of the worst coverage compared to the other carrier, I live in a major metropolitan area, and I had no service in my house, and sprint would never take responsibility for that fact.
Palm has got it's best user rating buy blatantly ripping IP and stealing employees from another company. But then again, Samsung and LG do the same thing.
Let's compare a Newton to a Palm next. ;)
The iPhone Rocks!!!! Don't judge it until you try it. Best phone ever!
you have not idea, mister astroturfer.
I tried :
a) screen not so responsible (specially is annoying for games)
b) keyboard on screen STINK!.
c) Browser useless, while is fast but the screen resolution is meh (is boring to zoom in/out for every single page), not to say that it is incompatible with several webpages.
d) crappy camera, 1g,2g and 2gs.
e) bulky.
f) low volume.
and so on.
ps :Don't judge it until you try other alternatives.
Some things are fair, others are opinion I suppose.
As for web browser, the fail on diplaying all pages n codecs is fair...
The "low res" bit though... Yeah I can see how more pixels on a 3.x" screen would make it easier, not, actually it would make it harder and require more zooming and what "other" device have you tried (that is less bulky, hence smaller screen) that let's you read a whole page not targeted at a mobile device without zooming/scrolling all over.
I'm fairly satisfied with my iPhone 3G but I'd trade it for a Pre in a heartbeat. Ehh . . . waiting for the GSM version.
I think both phones are fantastic and user friendly they are not perfect but it helps out for some who are always on the go I have a iPhone but I'm thinking about trying out the pre...
200 vs 40....honestly wtf kinda 'study' is this
Just remember the Palm Pre and WebOS are FIRST generation systems and as per this site and another called "PreCentral", Palm is listening to owner's gripes and quietly upgrading the phone by adding sturdier parts and tweaks...let's face it that the iPhone is an icon now by where all other phones will be judged against period. There is a market for everyone now...so if you like Apple get an iPhone, you like Palm get a Palm Pre.....
Statistically, a sample size as little as 30 is remarkably representative of a sampled population.
They actually polled 200 Pre owners, but the other 160 had returned their Pre units, so. . .
Pages and pages of more cell phone wars. Will this ever become a real tech blog?
idk if this is fair anyway, because of the iphone fanboys that would never admit to the product having a flaw. Maybe palm has the same thing though...
Well the stats are probably fairly representative but you have to remember the smaller the sample size the bigger the effect of adding more population to the survey v
So adding people to the pre side can definately skew the results.
I am typing this on my iPhone 3g as we speak. I hate the way that apple does business and the big bully approach they have taken with the iPhone and the lackluster basic functions.
I personally cannot wait to get a pre and ditch apple and this little crappy cult device.
It's actaully good in allot of areas for the simple user but as someone who knows better it sucks in some very key areas. My palm pre cannot come fast enough.
I'm very satisfied with my Pre. So is my best friends girlfriend. So there's two more to the satisfactory list.
Wait, isn't the Pre actually being given a big advantage with a fewer number of people polled?
Not surprised. iPhone users have lost their sense of identity way back and wouldn't be able to determine crap from the rest. Besides, this data was probably collected from a biased message board as the article regarding Pre returns. GG!
Would these comments be different if the iPhone had polled worse than the Pre? Almost certainly. If a survey says people like iPhones it must be because they're being duped and because the survey is wrong. Meanwhile, if the Pres numbers had been changed so only 40 people had been polled still, but 99% of people were satisfied, I'm sure people here would be espousing the brilliance of said survey.
So what if other people aren't as happy with the Pre as you are? If people are happier on average with an iPhone, even if they have warped expectations, does it matter? Equally, the people who love the Pre may only do so with the warped view of hating the iPhone, but who knows? It's a traditional human response to get upset and when people disagree with you.
This RBC/IQ survey is undertaken by RBC Capital Markets an international corporate and investment bank. Which kind of bankers got us into this current financial disaster?
200 respondents is not even close to being a valid sample, much less 40 for the Pre. How did they pick these estatic souls and were they savvy phone users or newbees. How long have they had their phone? Have they tried or had other newer phones demoed to them? Where they given the phones gratis? Need I mentioned that this “survey company” is in it to make money. What questions were asked. This is pure PR Applesauce rubish.
Just remember, in Japan, carriers have to give iPhones away. That's the only way their customers will accept them. There many better phones in the rest of the world that those lucky people in the far East can use, so they don't need the lousy iPhone. The reason we don't see many of those great phones is because our networks, for the most part are crap. From all indications, they will widely implement WiMax/4G before we do. VOIP is widely used, and they still have a local branded network to use as needed. And since its not an iPhone, your web browser doesn't crash, google maps doesn't shut itself off in the middle a search, flash is supported, earbuds don't fall apart, your screen doesn't develope black lines, it doesn’t burn up, or worse and you can actually hear someone on your phone, in a crowded room.
Fortunately, with a bit of looking, you can find some of these 3g/4g capable phone so you don't have to put yourself in the position of signing up for another iPhone every time Apple says new! New and Improved what? Oh, you finally caught up with what the rest of the world is doing? Almost, comes back the reply from Appleland.
It would be helpfull to know who these organizations are and what business they are in at the beginning of the article.
Aw poor babies! Youre not satisfied with your Pre!? Well at least you freaking have one. Better than a motorola razor. There is something wrong with this world if people arent satisfied by a state of the art touch screen phone. Lets push aside our greed that got us in the recession in the first place and be happy with what we have.
I think it is interesting to compare Apple phones to Palm phones but there are so many nuances to what really makes something accurate and/or true that it would be just about impossible to get hard data out of this. I think you can say that a large majority of iPhone users are happy with their phone but you could probably also say that there are a lot of rabid iPhone fanboys (not to mention rabid Pre fanboys -though Apple does seem to have larger fanboy groups than just about anyone) and that people generally rationalize their purchases (which would influence both to varying degrees).
Another factor to consider is cluelessness. I don't have any hard evidence to back me up on this, but as someone who has worked with technology for over twenty years there is no group that is as smug about the righteousness of their device and yet are also really clueless about how it actually works moreso than Apple fans. This does not mean that Apple doesn't make some great devices or that there aren't some knowledgeable people that use them but rather that Apple fanboys have a higher tendency to think they know more because they bought an Apple product instead of having acquired actual knowledge about something. Again, this is my opinion and not based on anything other than years of experience. I think it is also safe to say that the vast majority of Windows users are like the great unwashed. Totally clueless but at least not putting on that they are technologically literate because they bought a Windows device.
Another factor that is both useful in some ways and not in others is comparing a first gen Pre to a third gen iPhone.
I agree that the sample size is too small.
Remember Twain's quote, there are lies, damned lies, and then statistics.
For the love of God... Can Sprint stores, reviewers, studies, surveys, people, etc. point out that the Palm Pre app store isn't officially open yet??? It always gets slammed for it's lack of apps, but that's because you can't submit an app yet! (only a few early access companies and the app must be free for now).
I think the fact that they have a delayed launch on their app store is really hurting the Pre. I think that's the number 1 reason why it isn't as successful as it could be. When you come out with an "iphone killer" or something that's supposed to be better or whatever. Even comparable (and it is). You aren't talking just hardware but also the software.
So the gripes that people have about the Pre from these reports means almost zero. We'll have to see what the studies are after the app store is in full swing. It's almost a waste of energy to do any kind of study on something that isn't really out there yet.
Hey you know, I think the Omnia2 is also awesome and I'm pretty happy with it. Let's do a study on that one...it doesn't matter that the phone itself hasn't even come out yet.
I will personally attest to a short battery life on my Palm Pre. I probably didn't charge it properly the first time. However. I can go buy another battery or two or three...And I can get an extended battery. Can't do that with an iPhone. Oh and the touchstone is pretty cool too.
I just laugh at reports because they have no place right now. Maybe if someone ran a report on "How happy are you with Palm's decision to delay the app store?" Or "Are you excited about the upcoming app store for the Palm Pre? How have the apps been so far?"
I can say that already the Pre has better apps than the iPhone...and that's what? A dozen? I know, when the app store laucnhes there'll be hundreds of junk apps too just like the iPhone...but you know what? They are off to a great start with Pandora and their Navigator. Turn by turn voice directions just like a real GPS. It works great. Would've made my recent drive far easier ... but at the time I just had an iPhone with Google maps which is fine...but not when you have to drive and read!
The difference is the cult of Mac. iTards would sooner cut off a hand then say something bad about an Apple product.
I like Brad's comments about cognitive dissonance, and the fact that many iPhone owners want to be satisfied with their iPhones. But, the 3GS was mostly sold at the same $199 price point as the Pre. So, unless you factor in the monthly service cost- in which the question would be a rating of AT&T/Sprint instead- then there must be another factor.
Then, however, consider the demographic. The iPhone is a highly mainstream device. I see it all the time in the hands of everyone from cool teenagers to high powered lawyers and CEOs. Few of whom care, frankly, about any of the high-end capabilities that make the Pre shine in comparison. They like that it just works, they like how it works, and they don't compare it to something that is comparatively obscure. Then factor in the fanboy factor, ie people like me who don't care what other devices are on the market, since the iPhone is the one that works best with my Mac and with my services, and thus I will keep buying them in spite of all the issues I see with them.
On the other hand, the Pre is a choice device among geeks who decry the iPhone lack of multitasking, Palm loyalists who want to stay with their old brand, and perhaps a few people who just want a similar feature set for less money (on the plan) than the iPhone. Each of these groups is bound to be disappointed for one reason or another; the first by the small selection of apps to multitask with, then the loyalists by all the ways it's different, and then the final who find they're not as happy with certain features as they expected to be.
Regardless of cause, I would expect that the Pre buyer is more psychologically prepared to be dissatisfied than the iPhone buyer.
I knew this would bring out the Palm fan boys. The 20 that actually liked the Pre anyways.