Skip to main content

Research shows Apple's smartphones and tablets drive highest customer loyalty

how to sync your Outlook calendar to an iPhone
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Apple has been declared the most customer-pleasing company in almost all markets that it operates in. In a study that looks at customer loyalty and engagement, Apple topped a number of important categories, including smartphones, tablets, and laptop computers.

The 2017 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index is a report put together by research consultancy firm, Brand Keys that attempts to rank companies as “category drivers that engage customers, engender loyalty and drive real profits.” It covers the whole gamut of industries, from soft drinks, to wireless phone service, to mutual funds and insurance. But it’s in the technology fields that Apple is so dominant.

It was recognized as the best representative of customer loyalty and enjoyment in laptop computers, tablets, smartphones and online music, and its subsidiary, Beats by Dr. Dre, came in joint first with LG in the headphone category.

Although a force to be reckoned with in all of those industries, it’s impressive to see Apple win all of them, especially considering its products do have a tendency to be a little on the expensive side.

Brand Keys also pointed out (via CNet) that customer expectations of products are rising dramatically, which makes it even more impressive that Apple was able to secure wins in multiple categories. It will be interesting to see if it can maintain that when next year’s report rolls around.

Other big winners in tech fields include Google for its search engine, Facebook took social networking and instant messaging apps, while Canon was named the top brand for printers. Netflix was given the top spot in the online video streaming category, PayPal won through among the payment service providers and AT&T was voted the best wireless phone service.

Do you guys have a favorite brand for any of the categories listed above? Are there any that you find yourself going to time and again?

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
Best OLED monitor deals: Get an OLED screen from just $450
Marvel's Spider-Man running on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8.

Shopping some of the best monitor deals is a good way to save on some extra screen real estate, but if you’re looking for something that can produce a stunning image you should turn your shopping cart toward the OLED monitors. OLED is one of the best picture technologies currently available, and it can create a lifelike image that makes interacting with games, presentations, and creative work much more immersive. The best OLED monitors can run pretty expensive, but that’s what OLED monitor deals are for. If you’re looking for superior picture quality and some ways to save, read onward for more details on the best OLED monitor deals taking place right now.
ViewSonic 15.6-inch VX1655 4K OLED portable monitor — $450, was $500

Getting into the OLED game can be both affordable and portable with the ViewSonic VX1655. It’s a 4K OLED display that’s made to function as either a laptop extension or something to pair with a tablet. It comes in at a super sharp 4K resolution and a refresh rate of 60Hz. This isn’t something you’d want to pair with a gaming PC, but it’s a great little display to keep with you if you do creative work on the run or want some extra screen real estate while working on a tablet at your desk.

Read more
Best monitor deals: Gaming, office, curved, OLED and more
Dell UltraSharp 27 4K PremierColor Monitor

Whether you prefer to work at one of the best desktop computers, the best laptops, or anything in between, an external monitor can be helpful to add some extra screen real estate. One of the best monitors can even go a long way toward reducing eye strain and creating an immersive digital or gaming experience. While high end monitors can get quite expensive, there are always some impressive monitor deals to shop, and we’ve tracked them all down. Reading onward you’ll find what we feel are the best monitor deals, whether you’re shopping for 4K monitors, gaming monitors, ultrawide monitors, or more general monitors meant for all-purpose users.
Best monitor deals

The following deals represent a best-of of the deals below. They're selected to give a mixture of prices, styles, and levels of discount. If you don't see something you like, don't worry, as the following sections will have plenty more deals for you to choose from. However, this is a highly recommended place to start:

Read more
7 best Chromebooks for 2024: the best for every budget
Close up of the Chrome logo on the top of a Chromebook.

Chromebooks might have a hard time competing with Windows laptops and MacBooks, but that doesn't mean they don't have their place. We've reviewed hundreds of laptops over the years, testing for important qualities like performance, battery life, and display quality — and we've found that Chromebooks consistently excel at performance and reliability.

You can find Chromebooks from Google, HP, Lenovo, Acer, and many others, and we've dug through them to put together this roundup of the best Chromebooks on the market. They're incredibly accessible devices, and for the right person, a Chromebook can be the best laptop in terms of value.

Read more