A survey performed by the Yankee Group found that 73% of iPhone users are “very satisfied” with AT&T, despite all the negative press the cellular network has received since the iPhone launched back in 2007.
Also, 77% of iPhone owners would buy another iPhone, while only 20% of people who use the competing Google Android smartphone platform would repeat their purchases.
The survey was cited at CNNMoney.com, which was quick to suggest that the positive reviews from iPhone owners must be a result of a “halo effect” or “reality distortion field” accompanying the iPhone’s slick and impressive interface and features. The idea is that some users are so pleased and wowed by the iPhone’s presentation that they gloss over the downsides — in this case, AT&T’s struggle to prevent dropped calls or other problems caused by poor or lost signal.
That theory is supported by the finding that iPhone users are more likely to be satisfied with AT&T’s service than other AT&T customers, only 68% of whom are satisfied.
This all seems to conflict somewhat with a previous report by market research firm ChangeWave, which estimated that if the iPhone is released on Verizon in addition to AT&T, AT&T could lose more than half of its iPhone customers. Who knows when that might happen, though. Depending on which rumor you believe, it will either occur in January of next year, or sometime in 2012.
It just goes to show you that predictions and surveys in the tech world are educated guesses, not products of precise science.
More About: 3g, apple, att, iphone, iphone 4, survey, yankee group
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