According to the findings of a new study by J. D. Power and Associates, Apple nabbed the top spot in terms of `tablet satisfaction' in the US; with Amazon and Samsung being placed in the second and third spot respectively.

The statistics shared in the study - the first J. D. Power study on tablet satisfaction in the US; with a participation of 2,000 tablet users - revealed that Apple got a five-circle rating, scoring 848 out of 1,000 points, to receive the honor of being "among the best" for tablet satisfaction.

The second spot, going by the J. D. Power study, was taken by Amazon - and surprisingly not Apple's closest rival, Samsung - which, with a score of 841 out of 1,000, got a four-circle and "better than most" rating.

Samsung was deemed "about average" for tablet satisfaction; with the company scoring 827 out of 1,000 for a three-circle rating. The companies which followed Samsung on tablet satisfaction were Acer, Barnes and Noble, and Hewlett-Packard, with their respective scores of 811, 803, and 790.

The criteria, on which the tablet-satisfaction ratings in the study were based, included the following aspects, in order of importance: performance, ease of operation, design and styling, features, and cost.

Meanwhile, noting that tablets offer "a great alternative to laptops and netbooks," Uma Jha - J. D. Power and Associates' senior director of mobile devices - said: "As tablet computing, multimedia, display and application offerings continue to evolve, their impact on usage patterns will continue to grow."