The American Customer Satisfaction Index has released its report for 2013. This year is particularly interesting as ISPs have been rated for the first time. How did they do?

The survey shows that Vierzon FiOS, the company’s fiber-based wired broadband service, has a satisfaction rating of 71. From there, the scores keep getting lower and lower until it bottoms out with Comcast at a 62.

What about the other major ISPs like Time Warner Cable and ATT? Time Warner came away with a 63 while ATT scored a bit higher with a 65. The average aggregated score among all ISPs was 65.

To put this all into perspective, ISPs were one of four industries to have an average score below 70. The others were the airline, subscription telephone and social media industries. It’s really kind of sad when ISPs are lumped in with an industry that has been the subject of bad standup comedy for decades.

So, why do consumers hate their ISPs so much? The ASCI lists the usual suspects – reliability, speed and highly monthly costs. It doesn’t help that many are also unsatisfied with the current monopolies or duopolies held by many ISPs preventing them from switching to somebody else.

There is hope, however, and that hope is Google Fiber. The ASCI says that services like Google Fiber may eventually shift ISPs to offering faster service for lower costs. It’s probably not going to happen anytime soon, but I can dream, right?

[h/t: BGR]

Last week, TrendBlog posed a question to its audience – “How much are you willing to pay for Google Glass?” The respondents were given a wide variety of price options ranging from below $100 to more than $2,000. The end result found that most were willing to pay near the bottom of the price spectrum.

Overall, 48 percent of respondents would pay between $200 to $300 for Google Glass when it launches next year. Going lower or higher than that causes interest to drop dramatically with only 13 percent willing to pay less than $100 with only one percent willing to pay between $1,200 and $2,000. Unsurprisingly, nobody would pay more than $2,000.

How Much Are People Willing To Pay For Google Glass by trendblog.net

Pricing is incredibly important, especially when it comes to consumer electronics. Microsoft has learned this lesson the hard way as Windows 8 PCs have failed to take off partly due to the high cost. Apple was able to sell high priced electronics because it was able to convince consumers that its products contained exceptional software value. Google will have to do the same if Google Glass is priced above $300.

Millennials, defined as those aged 18-34, were found to be more willing to allow companies track them or access their personal information compared to those 35 and older. Millennials were also found to be more receptive to the idea of targeted advertising, and were much more active on social media. All of this, though, is predicated on receiving some benefit for the lack of privacy.

“Millennials think differently when it comes to online privacy,” said Elaine Coleman, managing director of media and emerging technologies for Bovitz, the research firm that conducted the survey in conjunction with USC. “It’s not that they don’t care about it – rather they perceive social media as an exchange or an economy of ideas, where sharing involves participating in smart ways.”

Though the social benefit of most social media is clear, even more tangible benefits still don’t seem to entice those over 35 as much as they do Millennials. One question, for example, asked whether a survey respondent would reveal their location to a company in exchange for coupons to nearby businesses. 56% of Millennials would share their location, but only 42% of older respondents said they would.

“Online privacy is dead – Millennials understand that, while older users have not adapted,” said Jeffrey Cole, director of the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future. “Millennials recognize that giving up some of their privacy online can provide benefits to them. This demonstrates a major shift in online behavior – there’s no going back.”

(Infographic courtesy the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future)

(via BGR)

A new survey out of the Game Developers Conference polled a number of developers asking which platforms they’re developing for. Surprisingly, the Wii U came in dead last with only 4.6 percent of developers saying they were working on a title for Nintendo’s console. Other consoles didn’t fare too well either as only 13.2 percent of developers are making a game for the Xbox 360, whereas 13 percent are working on the PlayStation 3.

Drops in console development leave plenty of room for PC and mobile development to pick up the slack. An astonishing 55 percent of developers said that they’re making their next game for smartphones or tablets. Another 48 percent said that their next game would be on the PC and/or Mac.

Now, before everybody starts freaking out, these numbers need a little context. For starters, GDC is no longer attended exclusively by people working at a major publisher. In fact, most of the attendees at GDC these past few years have been indie developers. The latest numbers only reinforce that fact as over 53 percent of respondents to the GDC survey identified themselves as an indie developer.

So, how does tie into the low console numbers, and high mobile numbers? It shows that indie developers are flocking to the PC and mobile markets because they’re easier and cheaper to develop for. It doesn’t hurt that PC and mobile platforms are far more open than consoles, despite Sony’s and Nintendo’s best efforts to fix that.

In short, the high number of indie developers attending GDC ensures that the numbers for indie platforms, like mobile and PC, are going to be higher. Now this doesn’t mean that Nintendo gets away without any criticism. It needs to do a better job of courting third-party developers and indies. The Wii U launched with a great selection of indie titles, and the hardware maker needs to continue that trend going into the future.

As big AAA games start to cost more and take more time to develop, the smaller indie titles will become increasingly more important to the livelihood of any platform. Sony seems to embracing the indie developer with the PS4 saying the console will support any kind of game. Nintendo is reportedly doing much the same with the Wii U. Now these hardware makers just have to prove it by securing quality indie content while supporting these developers with the help they need to realize their vision.

[h/t: Gamasutra]

The AP and market research firm GfK recently surveyed 1,200 US adults over the phone about Windows 8. The big takeaway – 52 percent of respondents have never heard of Windows 8 despite Microsoft’s $1.5 billion marketing blitz.

Such a higher number may be cause for alarm, but Microsoft may have already accounted for the kind of people that don’t follow operating systems too closely. What they should be worrying about it are those who knew about Windows 8 since its introduction over two years ago. The survey found that 61 percent of those who knew about Windows 8 have no interest in upgrading. Even more damning, only 35 percent believe it’s an improvement over Windows 7.

The folks at Microsoft have their work cut out for them over the next few months as they try to sell the new operating system to consumers and enterprise customers alike. Early reception has been mixed with some enterprise customers adopting the new operating system for its consumer-friendly tablet integration. Others are reluctant due to the amount of retraining required to get employees up to speed.

Windows 8 was never a solid sell for desktop users, but Microsoft can still pull out a success in the mobile market. The company’s Surface tablet seems to be doing well with early adopters and the Windows Phone 8 event scheduled for later today will shed some light on Microsoft’s strategy with smartphones, a market that it has consistently failed to gain a foothold in.

Forumswindows8.com, the self-proclaimed “largest Windows 8 help and support forum on the Internet,” recently surveyed over 50,000 Windows 8 users. The survey covered everything from strengths and weaknesses to general thoughts on Windows 8 versus its predecessors.

The good news is that Windows 8 isn’t universally hated. The bad news is that a majority of Windows 8 users still prefer its predecessor with 53 percent saying that they like Windows 7 more. In comparison, only 25 percent chose Windows 8 as their favorite.

That being said, those surveyed dumped a fair amount of praise on the operating system. A majority of users (56 percent) chose the fast boot and shut down of Windows 8 as their favorite feature. Fifty percent of users listed the easy installation as their favorite. From there, the numbers drop somewhat dramatically with only 35 percent of users listing Internet Explorer 10 as their favorite feature.

In what may be more damning than anything, only 23 percent of users listed the Windows Store as their favorite feature. The Metro WIndows 8 UI doesn’t fare much better with only 22 percent claiming the feature to be their favorite. These are the two big selling points of Windows 8. Without support from users, Microsoft doesn’t have much of a chance.

The theme of hating the new UI carries over to the answers supplied by respondents when surveyed on weaknesses. A relatively small, but still significant, 18 percent say that Microsoft needs to improve the two UI style system on desktops. A much larger 35 percent say that the price of Windows 8, which is set at $199 after a promotional price of $69, is too high.

Despite the complaints about the desktop version of Windows 8, Microsoft seems to have made the right move with their Surface tablet. Out of all of those surveyed, a sizable chunk of respondents (25 percent) said that they would choose the Microsoft Surface tablet over the competition.

Overall, this survey represents something that Microsoft should be concerned about. They’re less than a month away from launch and people still prefer Windows 7. To some extent, it’s to be expected. Every new operating system is met with trepidation, but Windows 8 was supposed to be different. It represents a cool, hip new Microsoft that’s focused on the consumer and entertainment.

We’ve reached out to Microsoft to find out if they have any plans leading up to launch to get people excited about Windows 8. We also asked if they have any plans to help fix or allieve the complaints that the respondents had. We’ll update as soon as we hear back.

PriceGrabber recently surveyed over 1,500 U.S. online shoppers about the iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini. It turns out that consumers want both devices. That’s not really much of a surprise, but it shows that consumers are ready to go above and beyond the call of duty to snag the latest gadgets from Apple.

The most interesting statistic from the survey found that 38 percent of respondents would prefer to have both the iPad Mini and iPhone 5 debut this month. As far as separate devices go, 34 percent would prefer to have just the iPhone 5 debut this month compared to 28 percent who would prefer the iPad Mini.

Interestingly enough, only 13 percent of respondents would actually buy the iPad Mini if it launched this month. A higher 21 percent would buy the iPhone 5 if it were to launch this month. The iPad Mini’s chances of success are much higher among respondents throughout the rest of the year though. A whopping 45 percent said that they would buy an iPad Mini before the end of the year. A smaller, but still respectable, 22 percent said that they would buy one within a year of its launch.

The iPhone 5 enjoys a similar amount of consumer demand with 36 percent of respondents saying they want one before the end of the year. Sixteen percent of respondents said that they would buy the iPhone 5 within the first week of its release. The response fits with a recent analyst’s predictions that said the iPhone 5 could sell 10 million units in its first week.

The reasons people have for buying an iPad Mini or iPhone 5 are pretty surprising. Steve Jobs was confident that consumers didn’t want a smaller iPad, but the survey says otherwise. The majority of respondents (61 percent) said that they plan to buy an iPad Mini because it’s smaller and more portable.

Unsurprisingly, 50 percent of prospective iPhone 5 buyers are upgrading from a previous iPhone. They want to take advantage of all the new features that the device has been rumored to sport. In what might be a worrying trend for Android, 34 percent of respondents said they would switch to the iPhone 5 from their current brand. It’s unfortunate that we can’t see how many people were planning on switching from iPhone to Android.

I think it’s safe to say that the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini will both enjoy a lot of success. It seems that consumers don’t really care if they’re released at the same time or not. Either way, they want to own both devices by the end of the year. The competition had better get to wowing consumers away from iOS if they hope to make a dent in holiday sales this year.

A recent survey of 1,000 Americans was conducted by Wakefield Research for Citrix. The results suggest that Americans like to think they’re on top of the latest innovations in cloud computing, but in reality know little about it. Unfortunately, even more people think that the cloud is tied to the weather in some way.

To get the embarrassing statistics out of the way first, the survey found that 51 percent of respondents believe that stormy weather can interfere with cloud computing. A plurality of respondents (29 percent) also think that the cloud is an actual cloud. A paltry 16 percent actually knew what the cloud was.

“This survey clearly shows that the cloud phenomenon is taking root in our mainstream culture, yet there is still a wide gap between the perceptions and realities of cloud computing,” said Kim DeCarlis, vice president of corporate marketing at Citrix. “While significant market changes like this take time, the transition from the PC era to the cloud era is happening at a remarkable pace. The most important takeaway from this survey is that the cloud is viewed favorably by the majority of Americans, and when people learn more about the cloud they understand it can vastly improve the balance between their work and personal lives.”

Even worse, it appears that we live in nation of cloud posers. The survey found that 22 percent of respondents pretend to know what the cloud is during everyday conversation. Most of the faking takes place during work, but strangely enough, 17 percent have pretended to have knowledge of the cloud during a first date. Let’s be honest here, your relationship is not going to last long if you have to brag about knowing what the cloud is during a date.

Cloud computing also shares a distinction with Linux. It’s everywhere, but people seem to think that they never use it. The survey found that 54 percent of respondents claimed to never use the cloud in their everyday lives, but 95 percent actually use something powered by the cloud everyday. Most of the cloud action comes from people using Facebook or online banking, but playing online games and file sharing are also big cloud activities.

What has this survey proven so far? Americans are pretty stupid when it comes to the cloud. Thankfully, even some divine intelligence can shine through the darkest clouds. The survey found that 68 percent of Americans see cloud computing as the future and the key to saving the economy. That may be taking the benefits of cloud computing a bit far, but it does show that Americans are warming up to the idea of pushing businesses and networks to the cloud.

Interestingly enough, 40 percent of respondents see the major advantage of the cloud is being able to work from home in the nude. I don’t know what kind of work they’re doing, but we can at least rest easy that the cloud enables them to do it from the privacy of their own home. Respondents also said the cloud helps them keep embarrassing videos off of their personal hard drive and allows sharing of files with people they’d rather not deal with in person.

Finally, respondents seem to grasp the major concerns that cloud computing still has to deal with. Thirty-four percent of respondents said that cost is the largest concern while security and privacy concerns follow closely at 32 and 31 percent respectively.

The future is inevitable. Everything is going to move to the cloud in one way or another. We’ll still have local storage solutions for a lot of data, but storage on the cloud is getting cheaper all the time. People will also soon become comfortable with the idea of storing their data on cloud servers as it’s far more convenient and sometimes more secure than local storage.

According to a C.S. Mott report on the the survey, “not enough exercise” has, surprisingly, never topped their list, though 39% of survey respondents considered it their top concern this year. From the report:

“Not enough exercise” is new to the top of the list of biggest child health problems, as measured in the Poll. From 2007 to 2011, childhood obesity, drug abuse and smoking have consistently been rated as the top 3 health problems for kids from the perspective of adults (not just parents) across the United States.

Childhood obesity was still a major concern, coming in at the number two spot with 38% considering it a “big problem” for children’s health. Smoking and drug abuse were also considered a big problem, with over 30% of survey respondents. Bullying rounds out the overall top five, concerning 29% of adults.

The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital has released a helpful infographic listing the top ten concerns cited in the survey. As you can see below, the list is also parsed out by ethnic group. Though different concerns top the race-specific lists, adult concerns for children’s health are generally uniform, except for the worrying 27% of black adults concerned about childhood racial inequality and gun-related injuries.

Also the study found that if aliens were to invade the country sometime in the next four years, 65 percent of survey respondents said President Obama would be better suited for handling the invasion than Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. The survey was commissioned by the National Geographic Channel to promote its new series “Chasing UFOs.”

To me what is even more astounding than the fact that 36% believe, is that 48 percent aren’t sure. Which means that the perception of aliens visiting our planet is becoming more and more accepting as time goes on. The new NatGeo survey found that a whopping 79 percent of people think the government has kept information about UFOs a secret from the public, and more than half (55 percent) believe there are real-life “Men in Black”-style agents who threaten people who spot UFOs.

So to wrap it up, lots of people believe in aliens, and even more believe that the government is hiding secrets from us.

Photo courtesy of Paramount