BlackBerry users satisfied: J.D. Power confirms business users like their smartphones

A new survey finds that U.S.-based users of Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry devices are the most satisfied with their handsets among smartphone users. That may not sound like a surprise to anyone who knows that RIM is by far the largest market share holder here.
RIM claimed 44% of the U.S. smartphone market in the second quarter, according to data from ABI Research. Palm Inc. was second with 24% and Motorola Inc. third with 11%. RIM’s momentum is remarkable: in the year-ago quarter it held 33% of the market, tied with Palm.
BlackBerries, however, barely beat out Palm’s Treo handsets and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s smartphones in user satisfaction, according to J.D. Power and Associates. In J.D. Powers’ scale, which is based on a high score of 1,000, RIM scored 702 on six key factors. Palm and Samsung earned scores of 698.
The six factors weighed by smartphone users included ease of operation, operating system, physical design, audio quality, battery life and “utility features.” RIM was rated highly by users for its operating system, which included the speed with which the device moved between applications and its e-mail program, and in battery life.
J.D. Powers analyst Kirk Parsons credited RIM with its ease-of-use with basic applications and providing the “right amount” of features in a lightweight device.
The study also found that users who are “delighted” with their smartphone are 80% more likely to recommend a particular brand than an unsatisfied user, and “highly satisfied” owners are more than 50% more likely to repurchase the same brand.
Each operating system employed in the smartphone market has its strengths and weaknesses, according to the study, and no one brand excels in all business applications.
The top five reasons given by respondents for choosing a smartphone brand are the PDA/PIM functions (50%), Internet access (48%), Bluetooth capabilities (46%), general ease of use (44%) and overall design/style (44%).
Thirty-five percent of smartphone owners download third-party applications with games (51%), travel-related programs (42%) and business applications such as Microsoft Corp.’s Word and Excel (36%).
The average purchase price cited by respondents was $261, with Palm fetching the highest price ($313) and Motorola the lowest ($194).