Apple tops J.D. Power customer survey 7 years running

J.D. Power and Associates is a well-known provider of customer satisfaction survey data, often known for providing those shiny award statues to automobile manufacturers. Well, they also do surveys of smartphone and traditional mobile phone customers, and for the seventh year in a row, Apple is at the top of the list for customer satisfaction.

In a report subtitled "Smartphone battery life has become a significant drain on customer satisfaction and loyalty," Apple ended up with an index ranking of 839 points out of 1,000 total and a JDPower.com Power Circle score of a perfect five. Next highest on the list was HTC, which pulled in with a power ranking of 798 points.

Apple's arch-rival Samsung was below the industry average figure of 774 with a ranking of 769, while LG and RIM BlackBerry were tied with a score of 733. At the bottom of the pile was Palm with a score of 697 -- their customers are probably miffed that they've been abandoned by the company.