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72 percent of iPhone 4 users 'very satisfied'

Despite reports of antenna problems when the device was first released, a new survey shows 72 percent of iPhone 4 users are "very satisfied" with the phone.

Jim Dalrymple Special to CNET News
Jim Dalrymple has followed Apple and the Mac industry for the last 15 years, first as part of MacCentral and then in various positions at Macworld. Jim also writes about the professional audio market, examining the best ways to record music using a Macintosh. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. He currently runs The Loop.
Jim Dalrymple
2 min read

A new report released Wednesday by market research firm ChangeWave shows that 72 percent of iPhone 4 users are "very satisfied" with the new Apple device.

The report, which tallied the results of 213 iPhone 4 users in July, also said that 21 percent were somewhat satisfied with the device.

ChangeWave

ChangeWave said that one third of iPhone 4 users surveyed said the device exceeded their expectations, while 50 percent said it met expectations. Taken together, the iPhone 4 numbers fall short of the satisfaction rating of the iPhone 3GS after its release: 82 percent reported being "very satisfied" while 17 percent said they were "somewhat satisfied."

Of course, the iPhone 4 had its issues as soon as it was released--namely the antenna problems that prompted Apple to hold a press conference and offer users a free case. ChangeWave asked iPhone 4 users how much of a problem the antenna issue was for them. Nearly two-thirds said they "hadn't experienced any problem" while 14 percent said it "wasn't much of a problem." But 1 in 5 said it was "somewhat of a problem" and 7 percent called it a "very big problem." However, the antenna issue did not top the list of the biggest dislikes of the iPhone 4--that distinction went to AT&T.

In fact, AT&T issues took the top two spots in the list of dislikes among iPhone 4 users, with the requirement to use the network being No. 1 and the quality of the 3G network coming in at No. 2. The antenna issue was tied for second among users surveyed.

ChangeWave

In its most recent consumer survey of wireless carriers, ChangeWave said that AT&T had the worst dropped-call rating of all U.S. carriers, with 5.8 percent. Verizon had the best: 2 percent.

ChangeWave

However, in the iPhone 4 survey, the percentage of iPhone users experiencing dropped calls has actually gone down with the iPhone 4. iPhone 3GS users reported dropping calls 6.3 percent of the time while iPhone 4 users report 5.2 percent of their calls get dropped.

"Despite the waves of controversy that surrounded the iPhone 4 within days of its launch, the latest Apple release is outperforming almost every other smart phone in the industry in terms of overall customer satisfaction and meeting owners' expectations," said Paul Carton, vice president of research, ChangeWave. "While one-in-five iPhone 4 owners do say the antenna has caused them problems, by an overwhelming margin they are satisfied with Apple's solution."

ChangeWave

Apple's new Retina display topped the list of what consumers like about the iPhone 4, with a 49 percent approval rating from those surveyed. The device's new camera, multitasking, and FaceTime also ranked among the favorite features.