Ever wonder who makes the most “reliable” laptop? Before we even dive into which computer company is the most reliable, maybe we should determine what reliable is. Recently Consumer Reports published an article about tech support and repairs for computers and they said that computers are among the most trouble prone products: “our annual product-reliability surveys have found that about 40 percent of laptops and 30 percent of desktops require repairs or replacement within three to four years of purchase. By comparison, fewer than 10 percent of digital cameras need repairs that soon.” So who makes the most reliable laptops?
Take a look at the chart to the right which is data compiled from 75,000 laptop owners, and you’ll see what percentage had a serious problem that need repair. First notice that they included only Apple, Gateway, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Compaq, and Lenovo. Other companies like Acer are missing. Now notice that the percentages ranged from 20 to 23 which Consumer Reports says is statistically, “not meaningful.” As it turns out, they’re all about the same as far as reliability goes and so it doesn’t really matter which computer brand you buy because there will still be a 20-23 percent chance that you’ll have to send it in for repairs. What’s important then is how each of these companies handles repairs and which offers the best tech support. Thankfully, Consumer Reports took a look at this issue as well.
While Apple ranked on the bottom of the list with 23% of owners needing a serious repair in the chart above, Apple ranked on the very top for the number of people satisfied with the laptop tech support they received from the company. Coming in at the bottom of the list for satisfied customers after they needed tech support was owners of HP laptops.
The next time you hear someone say, “Oh those Dell or Gateway computers are terrible, and they always break,” you could chime in and set the record straight. Most computers inside include a lot of the same parts as one another and it’s just the casing and other little details that make them different anyways. So which computer should you buy? Well, it all ends up coming down to personal preference, and perhaps who has the best deal at the time for the specs you want. There are no real losers out there as far as the hardware goes. Customer service on the other hand, that can make all the difference…
Source: Crave.cnet.com
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Tags: Hardware, Apple, Computers, Dell, Laptops
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LOL at the related posts under the article:
“Dell Laptop EXPLODES At A Conference”
I’ve had an HP laptop since 2003 and it malfunctioned twice only (some file was corrupted and I couldn’t boot it. I had to re-install my OS both times). And about 4-5 months ago the screen hinge broke so I just use it as a desktop replacement. Not too bad. I didn’t have to send it in to HP for major replacements or repairs. When I contacted them the first 2 times they were very helpful, so I guess I just had a helpful agent.
But I’ve had a Dell PC with Dell printer (not laptop) for about 2 years. The printer broke twice within like a year of purchase and then like 2 weeks after I got it replaced so I got rid of it. I had a problem with the monitor which also had to be replaced. I’ve also had some trouble with the RAM (so says the Dell rep). I still experience issues with the CD-ROM drive opening and closing when it wants to.
So what I’m trying to say is I guess it really depends. Some people haven’t had problems with Dell, but some have. Some have had problem with HP, or Apple customer service, so I don’t really see this report affecting my future purchases.
A pity the survey didn’t provide the age of computers when they experienced the most repairs — in most electrical equipment it occurs almost immediately — so you might think that most repairs would be within the 1st month — but we don’t know from this report.
Secondly the survey didn’t include many brands — much too limited. For instance, some laptops have more durable cases, hence probably less liable for breakdown.
Thirdly, there’s no mention of ease of repair. Some laptops are very difficult to work on. Parts may only be available from the manufacturer, which can mean a week or two of downtime as opposed to overnight if it’s available locally.
I’ve had a Dell desktop and a Dell laptop. With both I experienced plenty of problems and I was not overly satisfied with support. The laptop was sent back 3 times, the desktop was diagnosed incorrectly a few times until I decided to just fix it myself. No more Dell for me.
I’ve had good experiences with IBM and Toshiba laptops, but my next one is going to be Apple. A reason to choose for Apple is also their level of support.
Do you have a graph about the support quality as well?
“While Apple ranked on the bottom of the list with 23% of owners needing a serious repair in the chart above, Apple ranked on the very top for the number of people satisfied with the laptop tech support they received from the company.”
That makes sense. If Apple spends the most time doing tech support, they should be the best at it. They’ve had the most practice.
Gotta love the related posts sometimes.
I agree Max, it really does depend. Every computer company out there has got a few disgruntled customer service employees on hand or ones that don’t really know how to handle problems properly. What it comes down to is personal choice and I don’t think anyone can go wrong with any brand of computer.
Now that would have been helpful because it would be great to know if on average how long people are able to go without any issues.
Unfortunately we don’t have a graph that shows the support quality. Once again just showing that if one person has a bad experience with a company doesn’t mean everybody will. Within the last month or two Ryan and I both had family members experience problems with their Dell computers, but Dell was great about it.
Practice makes perfect, right?