Apple Claims 99% Satisfaction Rating From iPhone 14 Users Despite Being 'Statistically Impossible'

Inno Flores, Tech Times 18 July 2023, 12:07 am

Apple has consistently claimed that its product lineup each year achieves an incredibly high customer satisfaction rate ranging from 98 to 99 percent over the past seven years.

However, this claim raises doubts from a statistical standpoint, as maintaining consistently high levels of customer satisfaction over a long period seems improbable.

(Photo : BRITTANY HOSEA-SMALL/AFP via Getty Images)
An attendee holds a new iPhone Pro Max at an Apple event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on September 7, 2022. - Apple unveiled several new products including a new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. They also released three Apple watches and new AirPods Pros during the event.

Apple Claiming 99% of Approval Rating

During Apple's earnings call in May, an exceptional statement was made by Apple's Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri. He said, "The iPhone 14 family achieved a customer satisfaction rating of 99% in the latest survey of US consumers conducted by 451 Research."

451 Research is a third-party research firm that Apple hired. While the iPhone 14 may possess admirable qualities as a phone, Phone Arena reported that it is likely that consumer satisfaction with the device does not align with the enthusiastic claims made by the company.

Customer satisfaction ratings can be influenced by various factors, such as the specific sample of customers surveyed, their expectations, and their individual experiences. Additionally, satisfaction ratings alone may not completely capture a product's popularity or success.

While a satisfaction rating of 99 percent would indicate a high level of customer satisfaction, it does not necessarily mean that the iPhone 14 is the greatest and most popular product of all time. In reality, achieving a 99 percent satisfaction rating through a traditional survey method with a representative sample is highly unlikely.

Surveys can be influenced by various factors, such as response biases, misinterpretation of questions, and individual preferences or tendencies to provide unconventional or contrarian responses.

Other Conducted Studies

From a different point of view, the most recent survey conducted by the American Consumer Satisfaction Institute focused on cell phones and wireless carriers.

According to a report from 9To5Mac, 5G models of the iPhone received a satisfaction rating of 81%, while other models received a rating of 78%.

Although these ratings represented the highest overall satisfaction rate among all smartphone manufacturers, they were considerably lower than the results claimed by Apple based on their own research conducted by 451 Research.

Also Read: Counterpoint Research Says Apple Has 'Highest Stickiness for Any Smartwatch Brand'

What Is the Truth?

Despite Apple likely having access to its own data, it often chooses to reference the figures gathered by the third-party research firm 451 Research.

This approach allows Apple to avoid potential scrutiny or legal issues if questioned by authorities regarding the source of the numbers.

However, this does not necessarily imply that 451 Research intentionally provided false information. PerfectRec believes that 451 Research may have only surveyed a specific and unrepresentative sample of early adopters and technology enthusiasts.

But what motivates Apple to rely on third-party research firms instead of using its own exact in-house measurements of customer satisfaction?

The reason behind this decision likely revolves around credibility and deniability. When a huge claim is attributed to an independent party, it tends to appear more believable.