For the fourth consecutive time Apple ranked highest in customer satisfaction among smartphone makers, taking the top spot in J.D. Power and Associates' semi-annual survey, albeit with a tighter margin over Android smarphone makers Motorola and HTC.

Apple scored 800 out of 1,000 possible points, down slightly from past scores but still ahead of its closest rivals, Motorola which scored 791 and HTC with and 781, both of which make smartphones based on Google's Android operating system. Smartphone makers that scored below the industry average of 764 included BlackBerry maker Research in Motion with 737, Samsung at 735, Palm with 726, and beleaguered Nokia bringing up the rear with 711.