P C Magazine yesterday published results of a survey in which they asked 15,000 readers their thoughts on computers. The focus on the survey is user-satisfaction, reliability, and related issues such as tech support. Apple scored among the top group in the laptop category, though the companyis desktop product line didnit surface in the results. You can check out the surveyis methodology for more information on how the survey was conducted.
Overall, Apple rated "Significantly better than average" in "Overall Satisfaction," "Satisfaction with reliability," and "Would buy again from this company." In the category of "Units needing repair in the past 12 months," Apple scored an "Average" rating. In the other categories included in the survey, Apple didnit receive a rating. Check out the ratings page for more information, or you can directly download the PDF file with the notebook ratings.
Some Apple related snippets from the full article:
Thatis why service, reliability, support, and satisfaction are so important, and thatis why each year we poll our readers about their experiences with the products and services they use. Our 15th annual survey reflects the evolution of the computing market, adding three important new categories—digital cameras, PDAs, and home-networking gear—to the already established desktops, notebooks, servers, printers, and ISPs.
Notebooks
Overall: Apple, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Toshiba
Office Notebooks: IBM
Home Notebooks: Apple, IBM, Toshiba
From the desktop results report:
In [the desktop] category, ten PC manufacturers have elicited the 50 or more responses required for inclusion in our survey results; nine of those have enough votes to be included in the breakout for home PCs, and six are included in the office PCs breakout. (This year, notable PC companies Apple, NEC, and Toshiba have not prompted enough survey responses to be included.)
From the notebook results page:
This year, Dell is singing a different tune in the notebook space. Last year the company dominated the category, with the only overall A. This year, however, four companies shoot to the top to attain Ais, and—surprise!—Dell isnit one of them.
We are pleased to see major improvements in the overall notebook category from Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and Toshiba, all climbing from Cis to Ais; IBM rejoins the A class, moving up from a B in 2001. "I have always had excellent technical support, without fail, from the IBM group," says Liz Mabry, one of the respondents. "I swear by the IBM ThinkPad," adds James Bailey. Larry Sanders, a network administrator, notes, "Other than my users occasionally screwing up the configuration, the laptops never give me a momentis trouble."
Toshiba receives better-than-average scores on each of the four key measures that determine the letter grade and is the sole A-list company with a significantly better-than-average repair frequency, though it is just average in office use. IBM now earns Ais for both office and home notebooks as well as overall (an improvement from its lone A for office use last year). Apple and Toshiba receive Ais for notebooks in home use.
There is a lot more information involving cameras, PDAs, printers, ISPs and more in the full article.