Apple, whose iPhone was once the iconic smartphone symbol, is facing a backlash from users, with the device now heading the same way as the once popular Blackberry, say former users.

A new research study has found that the iPhone is now one of the “most hated” of the available smartphones. Apple’s iPhone 5 received the biggest customer backlash following its launch in 2012, according to new research.

At some Telstra shops such as North Sydney, the iPhone has been relegated to the back of the store with the HTC One, the Samsung S4 and a new range of Sony phones taking pride of place at the front of the store.

Analysts at ‘We Are Social’ claim that most people complaining about the new iPhone 5 said the introduction of a new power socket, the inaccuracy of Apple Maps and how similar the phone was to previous models was the reason they had turned away from the iPhone as a smartphone of choice.

Samsung’s Galaxy S4 received the least complaints – just 11 per cent.

We Are Social scanned Twitter, blogs and forums following the launch of four major handsets – Apple’s iPhone 5 in September 2012, Samsung Galaxy S4 in March this year, the BlackBerry Z10 launch event in January and Nokia’s launch of the Lumia 920, first announced in September 2012.

This is how they stacked up on social networks, according to the research company.

Number of launch day conversations<?xml:namespace prefix = “o” />

iPhone 5 – 1.7 million

BlackBerry Z10 – 300,000

Galaxy S4 – 140,000

Lumia 920 – 45,000

Brand appeal: conversation based around the brand itself

iPhone 5 – 42%

BlackBerry Z10 – 41%

Lumia 920 – 41%

Galaxy S4 – 20%

Brand criticism: comments about the brands with a negative connotation

iPhone 5 – 20%

BlackBerry Z10 – 18%

Lumia 920 – 15%

Galaxy S4 – 11 %

Features: discussions about any new and different features of the handset

Galaxy S4 – 56%

Lumia 920 – 37%

iPhone 5 – 29%

BlackBerry Z10 – 27%

The iPhone 5, which came in for a barrage of complaints for everything from its lack of innovation to its new power connector socket and its mapping application, is facing a backlash in Australia from consumers who claim that their audio on the new device is not working properly.

Apple added a Lightning to 30-pin power socket to the iPhone 5, which meant previous Apple users couldn’t use their older chargers to charge the new device. This has also led to the collapse of the dock market, with most vendors now moving to Bluetooth or Wireless docks.

Prior to the launch of the iPhone 5, iPhone users used what was described as an “excellent” Google mapping application, but this was replaced with Apple Maps in the iPhone 5.

This led to complaints about misplacement of landmarks, poor satellite images and wrong directions.

Less than a fortnight after the launch, Apple issued a statement apologising for the frustration Apple Maps had caused customers and recommended they try alternative mapping apps.

There were also complaints about the picture quality of photos taken on select iPhone 5s, with some customers saying there was a purple discolouration on images.

Other iPhone 5 owners were left angry when the coating on their handset chipped off, exposing bright aluminium underneath.

Apple Australia does not hold press conferences, nor does it reply to questions about the poor quality of their products. What they do is issue press releases, but deny journalists the right to question issues in the press releases.