For the first time in recorded history, an iOS update is leading to a decrease in customer satisfaction. While iOS updates are usually viewed as an improvement, a new survey finds that iOS 6 has actually hurt Apple’s customer service reputation.
“We have always seen an increase in device satisfaction as consumers upgrade their mobile operating system from one version to another,” On Device DEO Alistair Hill told TechCrunch. While the rating for the upgrade from iOS 4 to iOS 5 received high marks, the move to iOS 6 saw ratings decrease to 7.65 from 7.75. On Device surveyed nearly 16,000 U.S. iPhone owners…
Researchers say the decision to replace Google Maps with Apple’s in-house mapping solutions appears to be the root cause of the drop.
Apple’s Maps app has come under fire for errors in it’s data, and for allegedly providing fewer details. Apple responded to the criticism last week, saying the app would get better as more people use it. Some users have decided not to wait and are flocking to other alternatives. The New York Times is reporting that Japanese smartphone users are flocking to mapping veteran Navitime.
Apple is making moves to improve the app. Recently the company began increasing its mapping staff, including the hiring of modelers and 3D image experts to improve it’s much-ridiculed images, such as the one showing the Brooklyn Bridge with a giant hump at the end. (See image above.)
The survey follows a J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey, showing the iPhone maker outdistancing other smartphone makers, including those powered by Google’s Android.
