In a recent survey conducted by RBC Capital and ChangeWave Research, 87% of Palm Pre owners reported themselves as happy with their purchase, with 45% ranking as “very satisfied.” This seven-out-of-eight satisfaction level is the highest that any Palm device has ever scored in RBC’s surveys. The 45% very satisfied rating is also the highest Palm has scored, though it still ranks behind Research and Motion (48%) and Apple (82%). On the subject of Apple, a parallel survey was run of iPhone 3G S owners, who registered a whopping 99% satisfaction, a number that is, like most iPhone success metrics, both unbelievable and not surprising.
The same survey also explored what users liked and disliked about their respective phones. The favorite feature of both phones? The touch screen interface. There are a few interesting comparisons to be made in the results for dislikes, however. The top rated dislike of the Pre was its admittedly not-that-great battery life at 45%, and that same flaw registered at 41% disapproval on the iPhone survey, but only as the second most mentioned flaw - #1 was AT&T’s network at 55% dissatisfaction (the Pre’s tie to Sprint only registered a 11% dislike rating).
Interestingly, the Pre and iPhone scored statistically similar results for both touch screen interface satisfaction (47% vs. 45%) and ease of use (39% vs. 41%), as well as lack of support from their IT department (both at 8%). The survey also pointed out some distinct differences between the two phones: 21% of Pre users rated Synergy as one of their favorite features, while 8% of iPhone users cited the difficulty of importing their contacts into the phone. On third party apps, 24% of surveyed Pre owners were not satisfied with the App Catalog’s selection, while 31% of iPhone owners pointed to the App Store as one of their favorite features.
Most of us here at PreCentral probably fall into the very satisfied portions of the Palm Pre owner demographic, but we’ll readily acknowledge that the Pre does currently have its shortfalls. The iPhone has always had very high satisfaction ratings (new owners of the first generation iPhone rated at 92% satisfied), so it's satisfying for the Pre to score so well in comparison so soon after release (without the Apple aura to boot).
Be sure to check out the full survey results after the break.
[via: our friends at The iPhone Blog]
What do you like most about your Palm Pre?
What do you dislike most about your Palm Pre?
What do you like most about your iPhone 3G S?
What do you dislike most about your iPhone 3G S?
Comments
One very important thing to consider when viewing this survey is the sampling size. It is my understanding that only forty or so Pre owners were surveyed compared to the 200 plus Iphone owners. Obviously a smaller pool of owners to survey could definitely skew results.
Solid results
Sample size, sample size, sample size....... having worked in research and of course a bias for my beloved Palm Pre, I must hasten to say that this is a flawed study. If you wanna compare apples to apples, you take at least similarly-sized groups and compare them.
... I'm also a little suspicious of their methods. I mean, 99%? C'mon people seriously. I want to know: how were these people selected? Where? Were they all selected equally?
Had they asked me I would have given my Palm Pre a "Very Satisfied" rating.
Don't you mean "...if you wanna compare 'apple trees' to 'palm trees'..."?
I think the difference in ratings can be almost completely predictable considering almost every single 3GS user upgraded from a previous iPhone, so they were obviously at least somewhat happy with it, and were excited to see improvements. The Pre is brand new. No one is upgrading and few ever had an iPhone because it's a different network. The playing field is obviously biased.
I think the difference in ratings can be almost completely predictable considering almost every single 3GS user upgraded from a previous iPhone, so they were obviously at least somewhat happy with it, and were excited to see improvements. The Pre is brand new. No one is upgrading and few ever had an iPhone because it's a different network. The playing field is obviously biased.
That was a crap survey. Barely anyone took it for the Pre. 200 iphone owners and some 40 Pre owners. I'm satisfied with the Pre and it seems the issues i do have can be corrected with updates which i'm more than willing to wait for.
i agree. a new neutral poll should take place. i am 100% satisfied with my pre. apps and homebrew are great. screen is great. camera is great. my battery life, even though most people dont have great life with it, is great. it last me all day with no charging. only at night. synergy is great. and i like the way palm is handling things. they seem to give a crap about what the customer wants. i cant say the same for apple (the evil empire lol) as for sprint i am satisfied with them. ive been with them for a long time. back when they sucked. they've come a long way. i look forward to web os updates and new features
This article also states that this is Palm's best rating ever. After more years than Apple making phones, that's shameful. The first iPhone scored higher in customer satisfaction than any other device. Apple got it right on their first try. That's phenominal. Shows a glaring difference in approaches to their customers. Apple apparently gets it. Palm, Sony, Nokia and the others should have been the ones to create the break through phone instead of Iphone dirivitives like the Pre. One of these other companies needs to create the next game changing phone instead of just copying the iPhone and claiming to be original. Think Palm is up to the task?
@Nathan
Most of the Pre sales were to existing Sprint accounts. AT&T iPhone 3G users were ineligible to upgrade to the 3GS at the discounted price and will be eligible around December 2009. That's when you'll see the bulk of the 3G users upgrade to 3GS.
Apple sold millions of devices this past few months to *new* customers. Don't try to kid yourself and others with such rabid fanboyism. In fact Apple sold more original iPhones 2 years ago than Palm has sold its Pre even now.
>Apple sold millions of devices this past few months to *new* customers. Don't try >to kid yourself and others with such rabid fanboyism. In fact Apple sold more >original iPhones 2 years ago than Palm has sold its Pre even now.
Yeah, thanks to the Apple brand and hype and thanks to the Apple' fanboys because the iphone 2G, apart for the interface, was a ridicolous device which lacked so many features...
87% of very or somewhat satisfation is great considering is the *first* device with webos which have a lot of potentional. iPhone've taken 2 years to achieve 99% and to implement many basic features and still lacks multitasking, synergy etc. And Apple have also much more money...
Well the feature rich Pre should have done much better in initial sales than the iPhone 2G. So what happened? Multitasking and Synergy not enough? Two years ago Apple was brand new to the mobile phone industry and so far has managed the change the game. Palm's had quite a head start and still fell flat. Think Palm could out do Apple in computers?
No, don't you kid yourself, just because they are not eligible for an upgrade doesn't mean they aren't buying it, a lot of 3Gs ownsers were 3G owners and most of them are iPhone 2G owners. Not new customers. Very few new customers in comparison to existing so don't kid yourself. Apple has an installed fan base even outside of the iPhone. These arguments and fanboyism is useless until we are about a year down the road when WebOS is on 2.0-3.0 and in many countries and iPhone is 3.5-4.0. Only then will it be a fair comparison. Right now it just can't be.
This is true, I and two family members left Sprint for the 3GS. I'm 100% satisfied with the iphone. The 3GS is years ahead of the Pre with its app store.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=22689
Eh, bad survey, but results seem like they'd be accurate.
Everyone I know with an iPhone LOVES their iPhone. The only things they ever hate on are AT&T and the battery life. Other than that, they adore their iPhones; even the guy who was pushed into getting an iPhone against his will (by his brother who wanted to do a joint family plan) eventually came around and now loves it. And having used the iPhone relatively extensively since a lot of my friends have it... the iPhone is a better phone than the Pre. There, I said it.
The Pre, though I am more than happy enough with it, still has a long way to go before catching up to the iPhone (which is at the top of the casual user game right now without a doubt). webOS still needs A LOT of work to compete with the iPhone. For example, just on lag factor alone, webOS is far behind. I get SO MANY lag hiccups scrolling around with the Pre it's almost embarrassing. I just played with my friend's iPhone again and I was astounded about how smooth it was since I got so used to the Pre's choppiness (and yes, I throw away unused programs and reset my phone on occasion).
The good thing though is while webOS is far behind the iPhone in fit and finish, it's just a few OS updates from being close, and a few more from surpassing it. Of course the same argument can be made for Android (or even RIM's)...
Anytime I see such high 'satisfaction' numbers involving any Apple product, I am, immediately, skeptical. The problem is that most Apple fans will never admit any real dissatisfaction or displeasure with said product, no matter how they really feel. They may complain from time to time, but they will temper those complaints with a defense of the complaint. "Well, Apple had to do this way because..."
Disgusting, really.
I agree 100%. Apple has many more fanboys than any other company in the world.
I think the difference in ratings can be almost completely predictable considering almost every single 3GS user upgraded from a previous iPhone, so they were obviously at least somewhat happy with it, and were excited to see improvements. The Pre is brand new. No one is upgrading and few ever had an iPhone because it's a different network. The playing field is obviously biased.
I have had the original Iphone, Iphone 3G,T-mobile G1, T-mobile my touch,Blackberry Storm and a slew of other phones (PHONE WHORE) and overall I like my Pre the best. After I got rid of the original Iphone I could not find a phone to compare to it (in my misled mind) I went to the G-1 that wore off. On to the Blackberry Storm (Nightmare) back to the G-1 (eeww). Then to the Iphone 3G (which is when I realized the Iphone was not all that) Then to the Pre (loved it but had severe reception and build quality issues) Sadly went to the T-mobile my Touch(took me a week to realize this sucks) Ordered a Pre from Sprint web sales, got it Thursday. I MISSED MY PRE. For a first Gen. device the Pre is very slick, I mean when the first Iphone came out I paid $500 with no subsidy offered and lest ye forget there was NO APP MARKET. I will stick with the Pre and I feel good things coming.
In my list of phones I would like to give honorable mentions to a few I left out
Samsung Instinct and S30 instinct
Lg Dare
Samsung Omnia
motorola krave
helio ocean
This guy has to be at the top of the dissatisfied group for the iPhone, though... 4 shots and a pyre...
http://www.geardiary.com/2009/08/15/upset-user-murders-his-iphone/#comments
Why do you keep saying you cannot believe the data on the iphone compared to the pre. Look the pre has <50 apps in the app store, you cannot customize the ringtone and has poor battery life. So YES the iphone is better. The pre might improve in future surveys but not until they fix the problems. I returned my pre to sprint like 5 my friends and family because of those issues. Palm need to address those problems FAST or they are going to go belly up.
Really?
C'mon! I cannot believe you returned your Pre's because of those issues: App store's size was well known before buying the Pre, ringtone customization can be changed in a new WebOs update, seems not that difficult, and battery life is something you will find with Iphone too...
Seems some people trying to introduce some noise...
The ringtones are completely customizable, just not the notification tones, which, like you said, can be changed with firmware updates.
The cons you have pointed out are so minor ("<50 apps": it was only released 2 months ago, "can't customize ringtones": are you crazy? you can completely customize them and you can even use mp3s on your device, "poor battery life": the battery life is bad but not much worse than iPhone or Blackbery), that how you can say that iPhone is better, when Pre's pros vastly outweigh iPhone's pros?!
Mulitasking vs no multitasking, snergy vs no synergy, proper non-intrusive notification vs notifications that take over your phone, true keyboard vs a virtual keyboard, brighter/higher resolution display versus a good/average display, a OS that you can write your own applications for vs a closed platform, they both have multitouch, they both have accelerometers eventhough Pre's is much faster and is 360 degree rotation vs iPhone's 180 degree.
The only thing comparable issue that iPhone has over Pre is that the apps open faster, but wouldn't you expect that, since Pre is constantly running Synergy and running multiple apps?
Don't get it twisted my friend. The iPhone OS can multitask, Apple has chosen not to implement it throughout the OS because of its negative effect on battery life. The Pre's true keyboard is a mixed bag and one of the poorest designs. The Blackberry is much better. The iPhone's Virtual keyboard is the best among virtual keyboards and as with the G2, it's a matter of time before we're all using hem. Apple's just ahead of the game. Leading the way as usual. Notifications are supposed to be intrusive and I think it works quite well on the iPhone. A message comes in and is displayed prominently on the screen. You decide to view it or not. Simple and effective. The iPhone has a larger screen made of optical glass with an oleophobic coating that resists finger prints and makes the screen easier to clean.
The Pre copies the multitouch interface if the iPhone down to the gesters and even uses mobile Safari's page navigation as the basis for it's cards interface. The App Store has over 65000 applications so apparently there are plenty of developers out there, and over a billion apps downloaded in less than a year. The app approval process protects the iPhone from potential malware and viruses. Let's see how Web OSes open development platform fares against malware and viruses in the future. Will you be needing a mobile version Norton antivirus? The 180 degree rotation of the accelerometer works great. I don't understand why anyone would use the phone upside down. The iPhone also has a proximity sensor that turns off the interface when the phone is held up to your face. This prevents accidental touch inputs.
The IPhone is faster, has a 3 megapixel camera with tap focus and can capture video, voice control that also controls the iPod, has a digital compass, it syncs through iTunes and iPhoto, has the App store, Apple's award winning customer service, etc. The Palm Pre doesn't have its own sync software and uses a hack to identify itself as an iPod. There is no guarantee that Apple will let this continue. Palm has opted to take this path leaving Pre owner in a lurch. The iPhone is a much better device than the Pre. Hands down.
Don't get it twisted my friend. The iPhone OS can multitask, Apple has chosen not to implement it throughout the OS because of its negative effect on battery life. The Pre's true keyboard is a mixed bag. One of the poorest designs. The Blackberry is much better. The iPhone's Virtual keyboard is the best among virtual keyboards and as with the G2, it's a matter of time before were all them. Apple's just ahead of the game. Leading the way as usual. Notifications are supposed to be intrusive and I think it works quite well on the iPhone. Message comes in and is displayed prominently on the screen. You decide to view it or not. Simple and effective. The iPhone has a larger screen made of optical glass with an oleophobic coating that resists finger prints and makes the scren easier to clean. The Pre copies the multitouch interface if the iPhone down to the gesters and even uses mobile Safari's page navigation as the basis for it's cards interface. The App Store has over 65000 applications so apparently there are plenty of developers out there, and over a billion apps downloaded iness than a year. One thing, the app approval process protects the iPhone from potential malware and viruses. Let's see how Web OSes open development platform fares against malware and viruses in the future. Will you be needing a mobile version Norton antivirus? The 180 degree rotation of the accelerometer works great. I don't understand why anyone would use the phone upside down. The iPhone also has a proximity sensor that turns off the interface when the phone is held up to your face. This prevents accidental touch inputs. The IPhone is faster, can capture video, has a magnetometer, it syncs through iTunes and iPhoto, has the App store, Apple's award winning customer service, etc. The Palm Pre doesn't have its own sync software and uses a hack to identify itself as an iPod. There is no guarantee that Apple will let this continue. Palm has opted to take this path leaving Pre owner in a lurch. The iPhone is a much better device than the Pre. Hands down.
I took the survey! Gave all good marks...except of course battery life.
The survery did not measure that Pre owners probably expect more than iPohne users. As one who moved from the iPhone to the Pre the Pre is far superior to the iPhone and my only disapointment with the Pre is that I have higher expectations for my Pre than for any iPhone!!!!
I took the survey! Gave all good marks...except of course battery life.
It's called Reasearch In Motion, not And, jesus. Soon Sprint will be owned by Verizon so the Pre will be on a better network. But thats zero help for the lousy battery life issue. The worlds worst network can keep the iphone. As long as it stays there, RIM will continue to sit atop the market share list quarter after quarter.
Look, I'm no Apple fan boy, in fact, my gut reaction is to hate Apple because of their fan boys (they're the most blind, annoying group of people out there).
But let's be honest here:
The iPhone will rule the casual user smartphone space if they would only go to all the carriers. Right now, the iPhone is on the top of the game if you're not a business power user (in which case RIM or WinMo are the way to go). Yes, the iPhone sits on top of the rest of the competition (INCLUDING RIM and WinMo for casual users).
The iPhone has a lot of weaknesses for sure, but it really speaks about the rest of the experience when people are very ok with overlooking those. I love the multitasking on my Pre and I love the concept of how webOS works, but I know first hand that the iPhone "experience" is a full level above the webOS experience. Once webOS becomes (if it ever does) as smooth as the iPhoneOS, it'll trump the iPhoneOS due to the elegant way it multi-tasks, but as it is now, it's got a way to go.
Palm has to thank their lucky stars that Apple didn't decide to release on all carriers. I'm pretty sure they'd be out of business. I most likely would've gone for the iPhone on Sprint (or actually if Sprint had a good Android phone I would've given it a thought). I'm pretty sure the other people I know with Pres would've gone iPhone if Sprint had it.
Some of those numbers don't make any sense. As a user of the pre myself I certainly know what's great and not about it. One of the worst problem the pre has is lag. I mean when you want to do something and it doesn't respond quick enough it's just frustrating. It's like every other palm device previously in that department. Now synergy is great, but it only works in contacts and email and calendar. It needs notes....when are we going to get that. Oh and the apps part is probably the most important thing. The app store is pale in comparison to the iphone. Sure there might be a high percentage of crapware on it, but 1 percent of iphone app good would still be more than what the pre has that are good.
The Pre does need some updates but pretty much everything you mentioned can and will be fixed OTA. As for the lack of apps as I stated before when I bought the original Iphone for $500 and no subsidies for a 4 gig model that couldn't send picture mail with no removable battery and it dropped calls like it was designed to do that, THERE WAS NO APP STORE not even 35 apps like the Pre has NONE.
I'm initially happy with my Pre, but with the caveat that I know it's a 1.0 version and my expectations are low.
I have some concerns that Palm seems to be going in the wrong direction with the Pre however, and seems to be marketing it as another iPhone. This is a huge mistake.
The Pre to me and everyone I talk isn't an iPhone - it's a more fun and usable BlackBerry.
That said, Palm needs to:
* Fix the Calendar so it doesn't take 5 seconds to update every screen.
* Fix the Tasks app so it's usable.
* Fix the horrible Memos app so it syncs with Exchange.
* Email: Should add sent Outlook appointments to the Calendar, also needs a Search feature.
Note all of the above relate to Productivity. Sure, some games would be nice - but if that's Palm's focus they're going to lose to the iPhone.
The sample size compared to units solds makes it ridiculous to call it a survey for both cases. However, the PRE has really anoying issues. I would have answered "somewhat satisfied". I came from the TREO 650. What a piece!
That the Pre wasn't as good as the Treo 650 (near the bottom of the Treos) is a tragedy. Period. Palm has no excuse here. But, knowing they had the iPhone to battle with and still come up with a half ass device like the PRE, they simply F--ked Up. Worse, that it is taking them MONTHS and still have not fixed the majors problems with the Calendar, contacts, Notes, Camera/Video, and Tone control is beyond stupidity. They have a Goliath like the iPhone in front of them, a great background like their Treos, and a limping PRE is what they still have to show for, you know what, they deserve the pounding they are getting from surveys to stock downgrades. They have no excuse. They already had a great product with their last TREO. All they needed to do was to add synergy, and the other few things the PRE brought forth, but WHY drop all the benefits of its predecesors we all had been so accustomed to work with? Dumb as hell!
Want to leave a comment? Register for free!
In an effort to reduce comment spam, you need to log in to comment. Registration is fast, free, and easy and gives you access to comment, discuss the Palm Pre on the largest Pre forums on the 'net, enter contests, and much more. Join now!