Apple's iPad beats Samsung in South Korea tablet ranking, third year in a row

The rankings were reported by Kim Tae Woo of BetaNews after being released by the National Customer Satisfaction Index, a program orchestrated by the South Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

The NCSI started ranking products in the tablet sector in 2010, and Apple has ranked #1 for three consecutive years since. This year, Apple's ranking improved by 1.4 points, or nearly 2 percent.

The report stated that Korea's "domestic tablet market is still not exploding, but it is clear that [it] is growing steadily."

It cited the new iPad mini as having "attracted high popularity," and noted that "rich iPad-only apps showing maturity and high product quality," an "excellent touch user experience" helped contribute toward Apple's lead in the rankings.

Yesterday, a separate survey in South Korea by Quality Insights similarly ranked Apple highest in user satisfaction among smartphones.

Samsung's focus on "new" rather than quality backfires

Over the past year, Korean giant Samsung has focused its advertising campaigns on "the next big thing," rapidly winning over media wonks who have collectively decided that Apple was no longer "innovative."

However, after the awkward launch event for Samsung's latest Galaxy S4, the fickle press has seemed to quickly grow tired of its novel eye tracking features that don't always work. Android enthusiasts have instead directed attention to HTC's One, a better built device being overshadowed by Samsung's powerful advertising budget.

But despite Samsung's record ad spending, shipments of the Galaxy S4 have fallen dramatically, with estimates down 30 percent just months after it was launched.

A report by Reuters cited Samsung-watching analysts warning of the company's "lacklustre prospects in Europe and [Samsung's home territory of] South Korea in particular," and adding that "the S4, in reality, also lacks any real wow factor."

Apple fighting back with iPhone 5, iOS 7

Meanwhile, despite complaints that Apple hasn't launched new product updates throughout the spring and summer, iPhone 5 is eating up new market share in the U.S.

Additionally, Apple's newly announced significant redesign of iOS 7 will force Samsung to either come up with its own parallel refresh or end up looking dated with a variety of features and app designs and its an overall appearance taken directly from previous versions of Apple's iOS.

Apple's iPhone has also won J.D. Power's U.S. customer satisfaction nine times in a row, with its score so high that it actually pulled up the average of the entire smartphone industry.

The Cupertino company takes great pride in its customer satisfaction ratings. CEO Tim Cook will often point out how well Apple ranks in customer satisfaction, noting that that factor drives customer loyalty, repurchase rates, and commerce within the iOS ecosystem.