Apple, Lenovo Top Computer Reliability Study
Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:12PM EDT
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Who's got the most reliable computers? In an analysis of calls received by its tech support centers compared with the market share of the vendor, RescueCom has named Apple the far-and-away most reliable computer vendor in the U.S.
The methodology is intriguing and unique, but it's a basically sound way to look at the issue: Essentially, you take the total number of each brand of computers that are on the market and divide it by the number of support calls received for that brand. A high number indicates less of a need for service for that brand, while lower numbers mean more service is required.
Full results follow (with total score in parenthesis, for comparative use):
- Apple (357)
- Lenovo/IBM (236)
- HP (126)
- Gateway (103)
- Dell (94)
- Others (79)
Scores of under 100 mean that the share of repair calls for that brand are highter than the actual market share of the company. Sorry, Dell! (That said, remember, this is just one company's look at the issue; other reliability studies will offer different viewpoints on who's best.)
Also of note: Some companies lumped into "Others" actually had improved service over last year's scores, namely Sony and Toshiba. I presume they weren't broken out because statistically the figures were too small to be relevant. But just because a brand isn't listed you shouldn't immediately presume it has poor reliability.
RescueCom is a franchised, on-site computer repair operation, offering 24/7 support and emergency services. You can find out more information and read the full press release here (click Press Center, look under Latest Press Releases).
Comments on Apple, Lenovo Top Computer Reliability Study
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2 Posted by cnull on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:27PM EDT Report Abuse
fox - While I'm not sure that's the case entirely, this is a third-party support organization. That might actually lead to them getting MORE support calls than fewer.
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3 Posted by txedreb on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:25PM EDT Report Abuse
As both a former Apple (certified technician and phone support agent) and Rescuecom employee I think this is a unbiased yet somewhat laughable press release as Rescuecom does not get that many calls on Apple products and Apple has numerous dedicated call centers for tech support. Apple has also received high marks from Consumer Reports for several years in a row for customer support and product quality. Rescuecom techs on the most part are not Apple trained or certified. They are dispatched from a call center that does not do phone support. While working for Rescuecom I never received a single support call request for an Apple Product. Also you will pay for a tech to come on site. Apple has 90 days of complementary telephone tech support before you have to pay per incident for support or purchase an AppleCare Protection plan that not only extends your standard one year warranty to three years, it gives unlimited phone support and the option of having a certified technician come to your home to repair the computer. For Apple users that are near an Apple Store, appointment based tech support at the Genius Bar is free as are in-warranty repairs. This appears to be an attempt by Rescuecom to gain market share for tech support and get its name out in the market. Most people I talked as a Rescuecom employee had never heard of the company until they started looking for someone to help get viruses and spyware off their computer.
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4 Posted by rogueist on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:49PM EDT Report Abuse
I think that Apple laptops though have the one serious flaw - if you spill some liquid on they keyboard area, you fry the whole machine. Nearly every other laptop I have worked on has a barrier of some kind - usually a plastic sheet or covering on top of a metal tray, between the keyboard and circuit board area. This is all open air on Apple laptops. So one drop of sweat and you have a brick. Otherwise they last forever.
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5 Posted by txedreb on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:25PM EDT Report Abuse
True but all manufactures can be affected by liquid spills. I have worked on one Dell Laptop that had wine spilled on the unit and it not only fried the keyboard but part of the MB was exposed to the liquid and it was shot. All laptops need spill proof liquid barriers either over the keyboard or under it.
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6 Posted by metalboy_5150 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:16PM EDT Report Abuse
Not completely true,rogueist...I have an iBook G4, and I am clumsy as I can be, so I have spilled things many times on this keyboard (the one I am typing this on), and it is still doing JUST fine. Granted, I have a key or 2 stick up on me every now and then, but other than that, if you take the proper steps after spilling something, you'll be just fine. Also, as txedreb said, "nearly every other laptop" must be a fairly small experience, because I have see several notebook keyboards ruined, not to mention the motherboards, just from spilling water on them, much less coffee or soda. I don't believe your experience is typical. SiSo
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7 Posted by lustbaka on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:00PM EDT Report Abuse
I love my HP desktop and new Laptop. I haven't had any problems yet. Especially not any spilling problems. Like i'm going to get liquid anywhere near that thing.
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8 Posted by hightechredneck506 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:19PM EDT Report Abuse
I have used both macs and PC's and honestly I prefer PC's over Macs. It's all about what you choose and thats a whole different heated subject. As far as reliability, I have to say that Apple does do a fantastic job. Although the machines, especially the laptops are not what you would call powerhouses and they don't really churn like some PC laptops do. The new Macs probably have a better amount of components but I cant say what they do for performance. Apple care is ok, I have had some major issues with Ipods and they won't help me whatsoever. This is aggravating but not exactly their soul purpose. I had an Alienware M5550 laptop and it was blazing fast but burned out in under a year, which was frustrating especially when the laptop would shut off because of overheating. It was just sitting on the desk and BAM! it overheats. They were at least once a week, and then it died entirely. Now, I am a happy Lenovo customer and wouldn't trade it for a Alien. It is such a stable and quiet machine with a great software set. Customer support is FANTASTIC. It is the easiest and best software solution I have ever seen. The machine has yet to have anything wrong with it and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a new machine. As reliability i agree with the above statements in the article but I think that IBM should get a bit higher rating because it's hard to find a better solution then them.
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9 Posted by keybowvio on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:50PM EDT Report Abuse
one thing that I feel compelled to mention. Why do people call for tech support??? Often, it is not because the computer is actually defective in any way (although this does happen more than it should IMO) but instead because the user has a lack of knowledge about the operating system that the computer runs on. Haven't you ever gotten a nasty virus and complained to tech support about it enough and they finally take care of it for you, or don't and lave you out in the cold? these types of problems don't happen with Apple's os as often as they do with microsoft- therefore, without screening the reason behind the call, this article speaks nothing about the build of the computer, but instead the reliability and ease of use (or lack thereof) in the microsoft OS's
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10 Posted by bhatiainc on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:06PM EDT Report Abuse
I agree Apple computers are reliable but their software operating system, however, is not as reliale as Microsoft. So if one is running MacOS on an Apple, it automatically degrades 10% in reliability. What good is the hardware if the software is the actual issue. Unless you're running XP or Vista on a Mac-different story.
1 Posted by fox95630 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:02PM EDT Report Abuse
I would like to point out that Apple is also one of the few companies that does not offer free tech support. That may contribute to a smaller number of tech support claims.