The latest sign that Apple may be losing some of its cache with consumers is a small drop in customer satisfaction levels in the mobile phone category.

Apple?s score on the latest "American Customer Satisfaction Index" dropped 2 percent from 83 to 81 out of 100. While still the leader, the results reveal that strong sales for the iPhone 5 did not bolster Apple's overall customer satisfaction.

?Apple?s drop is not statistically significant; however, it does suggest that the iPhone5 did not prove to provide the positive boost Apple no doubt hoped for,? said David VanAmburg, managing director of the ACSI, Ann Arbor, MI.

?The company is still No. 1 in cell phone manufacturing, but others are narrowing the gap considerably,? he said.

More satisfying experiences
Apple has been facing growing competition in the smartphone category, primarily from Samsung.

In fact, Apple's score for its phones now lags the company's rating for its desktop, laptop and tablet business, which had a score of 86 on the ACSI index in Sept. 2012.

Samsung's customer satisfaction gains were driven by the mid-2012 launch of the Galaxy S III, which features a larger screen.

Despite the drop in customer satisfaction experienced by Apple, it remains at the top of the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands for 2013 report, as it is worth $185 billion.

However, Apple?s value grew just one percent last year compared to Samsung?s 51 percent growth, which ranks at No. 30 with a brand value of $21 billion.

The BrandZ report also found that Google has reversed last year?s decline in brand value to grow 5 percent this year, putting it in the number two spot with a value of $114 billion.

Wireless carrier turnaround
There was good news for the wireless phone industry in the ACSI, which had a 2.9 percent gain in customer satisfaction following two years of declining results. As a result, the industry average reached 72, matching its 10-year high but still below the national ACSI average.

Per the ACSI, barriers to switching such as contracts and cancellation fees are a big part of why customer satisfaction is lower for this segment.

The aggregate of smaller wireless carriers tops the industry at 78, up 3 percent.

In general, customer satisfaction with the information sector is improving, with the combined aggregate score for wireless telephone service, Internet service providers, subscription television service, mobile phones, fixed-line telephone service and computer software climbing 0.6 percent for a total of 72.3.

?While the iPhone5 did not do much for Apple, the Galaxy S III did wonders for Samsung,? Mr. VanAmburg said.

?If the Galaxy S IV proves to be as successful as the S III, we could see Samsung?s suite of smartphones continuing to compete very strongly with iPhones,? he said.

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York