∞ Survey shows iPhone 4 owners less satisfied than iPhone 3GS owners

ChangeWave, a market research company, has surveyed iPhone 4 owners. The survey reveals that iPhone 4 users are, on a whole, satisfied, though not perhaps as much so as iPhone 3GS users were.

The survey gathered responses from 213 iPhone 4 owners – not a huge sample, by any stretch of the imagination, but perhaps large enough to glean some basic information from.

A total of 93 percent of iPhone 4 owners described themselves as either “very satisfied” (72 percent) or “somewhat satisfied” (21 percent) with their purchase. By comparison, 99 percent of iPhone 3GS owners polled last August said the same – and the percentage of “very satisfied” owners was higher, at 82 percent.

One-third of those polled said the iPhone 4 exceeded their expectations; half said it met them. ChangeWave says those rates are below the “nosebleed” levels it saw for the 3GS launch.

The iPhone 4’s screen resolution, camera and flash, interface and ease of use were cited as the most popular attributes of the new device. The biggest dislike was, predictably, AT&T – more than one-quarter of those polled wished that AT&T wasn’t required for use in the United states, and 24 percent disliked the coverage, speed or quality of AT&T’s 3G network.

About the same number of users also complained about antenna issues and excessive dropped calls – though ChangeWave noted that iPhone 4 owners report better dropped call frequency than iPhone 3GS users did.

The news isn’t bad for Apple – ChangeWave suggested that the sensitivity iPhone 4 owners showed towards antenna issues is largely because of the early media attention payed to it. Once Apple is able to get beyond that, “this survey shows there is a high likelihood the iPhone 4’s customer satisfaction levels could end up equaling or surpassing those of the 3GS,” said Paul Carton, ChangeWave vice president of research.