The war between Apple and Samsung is not going to end, at least not anytime soon. And much as fans from either side like to quibble about the other’s drawbacks, the truth is they’re very much alike.
And that’s not just our opinion doing the talking here. Our loyalties are always aligned towards the fruit that tempted Eve. But this time, we have the numbers to back it up.
The latest report of the American Customer Satisfaction Index was released last Wednesday. Apple retained its top spot by scoring 81 out of 100. But before you get pumped up and start doing the victory dance, here’s the kicker:
Samsung is right behind Apple, grabbing the second spot only because it had one point less than Apple. That’s right, Samsung scored 80 points on this index! That’s not much of a difference at all, people.
What’s interesting is that last year both companies shared the top spot at 80 points each. This year Apple has managed to inch ahead; but just barely.
What’s really weird is that it’s not an iPhone that tops the individual charts for most satisfaction. That honour goes to Samsung’s Galaxy S5 with 86 points. Coming a close second is iPhone 6s with 85 points. Followed by Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 4 at third and fourth place respectively. Samsung has 3 more devices in the top 10. All of them with a score of 80+.
Now, a score of 80 can be considered a wonderful achievement in many circles. But in this case, like the quintessential Indian parents who want their son to go to IIT, 80 percent is a disgraceful total. You can almost hear Samsung’s father’s disdainful voice, telling off his son: Sharmaji Jobs Ji ke bete se kuch seekho!
The smartphone industry is extremely competitive. So tough is the fight that a 20 percent dissatisfaction level is more than enough to motivate consumers to change their handsets.
That’s the reason smartphone manufacturers drive themselves into a frenzy, bringing out a new mobile phone every few months. It’s really a testament to Apple’s reputation as a brand that it is able to get away with just one iteration each year!
At the end of the day, we believe that competition is good in a free market. It forces all players to put their best foot forward. However, when we deal with issues like buggy phones, charging cables that snap like a twig, batteries that don’t even last a day, or handsets that freeze when you try and run more than 3-4 applications … we believe that companies still aren’t trying all that hard. They still have a long way to go before we give them 100/100.