Apple’s iPhone Tops Customer Satisfaction Survey

Apple once again topped the J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey with a satisfaction score of 839 out of 1,000. The survey measures satisfaction with performance, ease of operation, features, and physical design. HTC took second place with a score of 798, Samsung followed closely behind with a score of 769, and Motorola a score of 758. The industry average score is 774. Apple was the only manufacturer who earned a 5 Power Circle Rating. HTC came close with four circles, and the remaining manufacturers managed 3 circles.

The biggest gripe consumers have with manufacturers and their devices? Battery life. According to the survey, battery life (lack there of) is the single worst aspect of owning a smartphone. As a result, owners satisfied with their device's battery life are likely to rate the manufacturer higher and purchase the same brand again.

As a result, power hungry 4G phones often come with higher rates of dissatisfaction. The shorter lifespans of 4G device batteries is only exacerbated by the increased time 4G phone users spend on their devices, thereby killing the phones quicker.


The balance between speed, battery life, and a happy customer is something many manufacturers are struggling with. Apple thus far has side-stepped the issue by not implementing 4G in their handsets. With the release of the new iPad Apple has finally entered the 4G LTE fray, but reports indicate battery life hasn’t taken a noticeable hit. However, to achieve this Apple included a battery nearly 70% larger than that found in the iPad 2. Apple, has a unique advantage in respects to optimizing their products as well.

With all the advancements in mobile display, processor, and graphics technology, battery advancements have seen little progress. Something new needs to emerge, otherwise manufacturers will be forced to scale-back their devices capabilities, or release crazy powerful devices with horrible battery lives.

New Feature Packed iPad Puts Apple On Top

All eyes were glued to the Media Event that took place last Wednesday where Apple’s new iPad was revealed. The feature list for the new iPad is exception and finally implements some of the great new hardware that people have craved. This includes the long overdue introduction of the Retina Display which really is just the icing on the cake.

Other features of the new iPad include quad-core graphics, iSmart camera and 4G LTE compatibility. Of course all these great features would be useless without the increase battery capacity which has been increased by 70%. This means that users should be able to get the most from the new iPad. The new iPad is due to go on sale this Friday the 16th of March and already Apple pre-orders have gone through the roof with many of their online stores having trouble keeping their servers online. The much awaited announcement of the next generation iPad has been worth the wait and this feature packed tablet really is going to be something that many users are going to want to buy.

Another great announcement was that the iPad 2 would be dropping by $100. Other tablets have always had the advantage of being cheaper so now with $100 knocked off the price of this fantastic device Apple really have got two generations of devices that are sure to be on top when it comes to tablet based numbers. The iPad 2 is now even more affordable and of course more favourable to consumers which means that the likes of Samsung are going to be in trouble with the new iPad finally being launched.

New iPad 3 Concept Features:

New iPad 3 parts leak hints at high-resolution Sharp display, coming first week of March in San Francisco

The alleged shell parts for Apple's next iPad leaked yesterday, hinting at a new circuit board arrangement designed to eventually accommodate a souped-up processor and larger battery in a slightly thicker than the iPad 2 body.

Now these parts received a thorough examination and some close-up shots, revealing that the external design won't differ from the current iPad 2 much, no matter the internal changes. The more interesting leak, however, is a new shot, courtesy of the Japanese from Macrotakara, which is said to expose a controller attached to the iPad 3's rumored high-resolution display.

he circuit is labeled Sharp, which coincides with the sayings that the Japanese are one of the iPad 3 display suppliers, and resolution is allegedly double the current iPad 2 one, at 2048x1536 pixels. We won't be calling it a Retina Display, since this resolution on the same 9.7" size translates to about 260ppi pixel density, rather than what we have on the last two iPhones, or the iPod touch.

Meanwhile, the March announcement has been confirmed by insiders, who claimed that the next iPad will be announced the first week of March during the usual for such occasions annual show at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Availability afterwards is not known yet, but it shouldn't be much longer, judging from Apple's previous releases.

EXCLUSIVE : iPad III

Apple stock flirting with $500, now valued more than Google and Microsoft combined Apple stock flirting with $500, now valued more than Google an

If you ever doubted Apple’s near-term future under Tim Cook, you’d better put these concerns to rest - Apple stock has been growing even quicker under the new CEO and it’s close to hitting $500. Currently, it’s trading for nearly $495, and we expect it to reach $500 tomorrow, but what’s interesting is that since the new chief executive is in place, the company has grown by $100 billion in market value. Apple is the world’s largest company by market estimations, surpassing Exxon Mobil by nearly $60 billion, as the oil giant’s market value is around $401 billion.

Amazingly, Apple is now bigger than Microsoft and Google combined in market value, which alone is telling. Apple has a market cap of nearly $460 billion, while Microsoft ($258 billion) and Google ($199 billion) combine for around $457 billion.

We should note that market value is a volatile measure, which can change drastically in mere weeks, but it is also an indication of what investors think about the company’s prospects. And, if you sold Apple stock when the iPhone 4S came out, you should definitely feel sorry about it. Check out Apple shares racing to the $500 mark, after hitting a low in November - the growth rate is almost unbelievable.

Apple Stock Earnings Preview (AAPL):

iOS 5 Beta 3 Includes More iPad 3 And Facebook Integration References

No matter when Apple releases a new beta version of their iOS some clever people go snooping to see what they can find hidden inside. The latest beta version iOS 5.1 beta 3 seems to be no different and this time two new iPad references have been discovered again. Two new code names, J1AP and J2AP have been discovered in the latest beta release which appear to link with recent reports that suggest the iPad 3 is being developed under the J1 and J2 names. It is presumed that one of these is the Wi-Fi only version and the other will also have a 3G radio.

Apple has always been known to test new hardware using the latest betas of the newest iOS whilst adding new features that are due to debut with the hardware. The betas that were released for iOS 5 has reference to Siri and voice dictation which are two new features that came with the iPhone 4S release.

Apple is working on an iPad 3 we all know that very well and if they follow their existing release cycle then we should expect to hear about a possible announcement within the next three months. Another new feature to be spotted in the latest beta release of iOS 5.1 is an old one that never made it into the shipping version of iOS 5 and this is the Facebook integration which is similar to the Twitter integration that we have today. This was supposed to be part of the iOS 5 release but apparently Apple and Facebook couldn't reach an agreement. It looks as though this feature could be back but whether it comes with the shipped version of iOS 5.1 still remains a mystery.

iOS 5 Hands-on: Major Features:

Apple Planning Media Event For iPad 3 And iOS 5.1 In February

Most people already know that that iPad 3 can't be very far away especially if Apple is to follow their usual release schedule. A new report has suggested that we might only have to wait a couple of weeks though rather than months for this big announcement.

Japanese website Macotakara has cited sources that claim Apple is set to announce their next generation iPad sooner rather than later. It looks as if a release date for sometime during March is to be expected and an announcement is due to come towards the end of February. This time scale seems to fit in with all the reports that the new iPad 3 is being produced and will likely reach capacity during the coming weeks.

With the next iPad rumors now in full circulation the real questions remaining for many are about the hardware specifications that will be released. Many are wondering if Apple will bring LTE to the new iPad. This may not happen considering that this technology is still in its infancy so we might have to wait a little longer for this. A quad core A6 CPU is looking likely but there is a debate about whether so much power will be required.

The most talked about feature of the new iPad 3 is a retina display especially after its rapid acceptance in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Apple is also expected to announce the final build of iOS 5.1 for all iOS devices which is also going to bring Siri dictation to the iPad.

iPad 3 rumors, Apple media event, 2012 product predictions, and more:

Kodak to sue HTC and Apple over claims of patent infringement

Kodak's legal team have turned their guns on two huge names in the mobile world, HTC and Apple.

The two companies have allegedly committed infringement on a number of Kodak-owned patents and the issues in question affect a vast number of both companies smartphones and tablets.

Eastman Kodak filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) and the US District Court for the Western District of New York yesterday. The infringements which affect both HTC and Apple include patents related to the technology used in transmitting images.

There are four patents in question here, including "automatically transmitting images from an electronic camera to a service provider using a network configuration file" and "capturing digital images to be transferred to an email address".

These patents relate to services you no doubt identify with on a number of existing smartphones, including many other manufacturers' Android devices besides the likes of HTC, but Kodak have already licensed such patents to a number of these companies, many of which you'll recognize, including LG Electronics, Motorola, Samsung Electronics and Nokia.

Such legal action takes places only after Kodak had previously tried to hold numerous discussions with both the offending companies, however these talks apparently failed to lead to an agreement. Despite this Kodak say their aim isn't to disrupt the availability of HTC's or Apple's products, but simply to receive "fair compensation for the unauthorized use" of its technology.

Presently neither company have agreed to comment, HTC first stating that they will review the complaint before issuing any official response.

HTC in particular have already become entangled in another Kodak-owned patent regarding a method of previewing images and Apple are not far behind with actions against them still 'pending'.

Some of the technology involved in these possible lawsuits is actually being showcased at CES 2012 in the form of two new cameras from Kodak, the Kodak EasyShare M750 with its WiFi sharing capabilities and the hybrid Kodak Playfull Dual Zi12: Pocketable Camera-Camcorder Hybrid.

It's no secret that Kodak aren't in the best financial state right now, with the the company intending to remove itself from the New York Stock Exchange altogether based on a notice filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on January 3rd 2012.

Patents have proven to be an extremely valuable asset and there can be a lot of money on the line in patent infringement cases, so it's no surprise that companies so frequently cross legal swords with each other (look at the activity last year between Apple and Samsung for a perfect example).

Kodak know that right now more than ever, they must protect their patents. The company have warned that unless they are able to sell enough of these digital image patents during 2012, they could well be headed for bankruptcy, a sad prospect for a company that has been in the imaging business for 131 years and undoubtedly been a staple brand for many of us in that time as well.