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Apple 'Smokes the Competition' in Reliability Survey

The reason I bought my MBP in 2007 was because of ongoing quality issues, poor customer support, and non resolved problems with my business class (Ha!) HP Laptop. Never looked back!!! I'm NOT surprised at HP's rank and, quite frankly, they deserve it. Maybe this will prompt better service from those on the lower end of the chart?

Maybe I should add that my "business class" HP laptop was over $3K!!!
 
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"As far as Apple is concerned, the more relevant survey would be to ask buyers of computers priced above $1K. Would Apple still fare as well?"

First off, does anyone spend plus 1k on iPods/iPhones/ipads or non-server Mac minis? All these products are below a grand and they all have high reliability ratings. Apple makes affordable "low-end" computing devices, but they do it in markets where they can still make quality products. If you could make a viable, unibody laptop with quality components for sub 1000, apple would. No one is doing that, probably because it can't be done yet.

As for quality of repair service, Dell and hp always suck, it doesn't matter what model you have, the very case design of their products makes repairs unwieldy. As for premium vendors, aleinware does a lousy job, voodoo pc did a great job, but they're computers are all well over $2000 and now they're owned by hp, so I dunno if there so good. Never owned a falcon-northwest, but same as voodoo, theycost twice as much as a Mac, they better be pretty friendly whenit breaks prematurely.
 
lilo777 said:
Apple chooses not to compete on the market for affordable products where quality is generally lower. As far as Apple is concerned, the more relevant survey would be to ask buyers of computers priced above $1K. Would Apple still fare as well? Or perhaps HP's and Dell's enterprise hardware and services would kick in with their same date on site repairs?
Click to expand...

Huh? That's like saying BMW chooses only to make high quality cars, so it's not fare to compare them to Kias. The comparison is completely valid, and is what helps people make decisions about spending more for a (potentially) higher quality product. If Apple's results were poor, then we would know that paying more does not result in a better ownership experience. Hyundai is a good example of a manufacturer who produces quality products that rank with the likes of Infiniti, Lexus and BMW, for a significantly lower cost of ownership.

Reviews and comparisons, from tomato sauce, to TV's and Printers, have generally always been about comparing similar products, not similar price. Consumer Reports compares all 4-door sport cross-overs together, be it BMW, Infiniti, Lexus, Ford or Kia. The same way they review all 15 inch laptops or 55 inch LCD TVs. Formatting rankings by cost would be tough. Is it for Laptops $700 - $999, or do you include the models for $1,050 too? Or should it only be for identical price? Additionally, Apple gets the same reliability and service reviews for is $999 MacBooks as it does for its $2,300 17 inch MacBook Pro.
 
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Not accurate.

First, the sample was tainted. Out of 79,000 responses, I would bank on less than 300 were Apple.
About Apple fan-boy owners:
They spent a lot on the Mac, so they are "happy", weather this means the mac is performing or they let it collect dust, they are satisfied because they believe in the "value" of spending more on a product, or the more you pay, the better it must be. Of those who use a mac and are totally satisfied, they maybe the only computers that they have used for years, and so they just don't understand the value of a pc.
Also, when you conceder that the demand for PCs is far greater than macs, you come across the "cut corners" approach by many manufacturers to keep prices competitive. This does not exist on the mac because OSX is linked to hardware, and not supported on any other platform.
FYI: I have been building computers for over 15 years, and own a Mac Mini for iPhone App Development. Recently I upgraded the mac mini with a hybrid drive and more memory. Yes, I did upgrade it myself, and no, I did not use the spatula method as it damaged the case, I used the wire method. Apple does not want you to upgrade their computers, they want to have you spend money. Do I love the mac? Not really, OSX is not the easiest to use and there are so many basic things that windows 7 does that OSX does not.
 
I've had above average experiences with Apple tech. support ... I've just had too many of them:

Apple replaced an iBook G4 under the lemon policy after three failed repair attempts. The replacement failed within months of the warranty expiration.

Apple replaced a hard drive in an iMac G5. This took two tries, as the first drive was smaller than the original.

Apple replaced a hard drive in a 24" iMac.

Apple replaced the video card in the same iMac a year later. This also took two tries, as the replacement card was DOA.

The video card in another 24" iMac is starting to go, but it's out of warranty.

I believe the Mac mini, iMac, and laptops cut it too close on cooling, resulting in premature failure.
 
Apple support is stellar. They really shine in this category. Reliability on the other hand... well... this is up for debate given the number of AppleCare my devices have required. ;)

Truth be told, given the $$, they should be at the top.
 
I had my MBP failed within a year because of a motherboard failure and have had two iPhones replaced because of failures (and three friends also had to have iPhones replaced). I'm not sure about these reliability claims, but the customer support has been great.
 
LSlugger said:
I've had above average experiences with Apple tech. support ... I've just had too many of them:, but it's out of warranty.
Click to expand...

Cue the "I've had nothing but trouble with Apple products" posts, because "my unique experience must reflect the univeral experience".

I am no fanboy, but it does come down to customer service. And in general, as Apple has control of the hardware and software, there is less chance for third party mischief.
 
Some say, well for the money, service should be better. Well, try buying a Vaio from Sony, a similarly priced computer to the Mac line. Then take it in with a problem to a Sony Style store at your local mall. Ha, ha . . . wait, let me know when you do it so I can see the reaction when you walk in with it. Or better yet, go into a Sony Style store with a flat cart with your old home computer stacked on it and tell them you want to buy a new one and transfer all your data from the old one. Ha, ha again. And yes, I have seen this at the Apple Store. It is simply a better customer experience. Do they get it right always? Of course not. But do they try to get it right? That is the difference in the ownership experience.
 
I have to agree that Apple support has been great in my experience. Especially compared to that of Sony. Example:

1. The CEO at our company had a 6 month old Sony VAIO Notebook. Small, Z Series. Trackpad was acting sporadic, so shipped it back to them. They needed the install DVD as well. 1 week later, it returns, trackpad is the same, and the DVD is missing. 20 calls later to Sony, they finally returned 2 weeks later.

2. My son has a 2007 MB [Refurbed] that didn't see the battery. Not sure what the issue was, but took it to the Apple Store. They took a look, said "Oh, this is a known issue. We'll need to ship it out though. Will take a few days.". Within 4 days, the MB was back, battery connector fixed AND a new battery.

Completely different, and pleasant experience with the Apple issue.
 
Pshaw. The YaHookah! out-smokes them all!

Hookah-Computer-Case.jpg
 
Chupa Chupa said:
I've called tech support for other companies though and it is worse, but that doesn't make Apple's great, just better than the worst.
Click to expand...

No, almost everybody is better than the worst. Apple is better than the second best, and is the only one who is better than the second best.
 
gnasher729 said:
No, almost everybody is better than the worst. Apple is better than the second best, and is the only one who is better than the second best.
Click to expand...

Translated. The best still sucks.

Do you want to be beaten together with a foam bat or a wooden bat? Those are your only choices.
 
frosted1030 said:
First, the sample was tainted. Out of 79,000 responses, I would bank on less than 300 were Apple.
About Apple fan-boy owners:
They spent a lot on the Mac, so they are "happy", weather this means the mac is performing or they let it collect dust, they are satisfied because they believe in the "value" of spending more on a product, or the more you pay, the better it must be. Of those who use a mac and are totally satisfied, they maybe the only computers that they have used for years, and so they just don't understand the value of a pc....
Click to expand...

Curious ... why would you think that less than 300 response were Apple? (the survey is US based, and the chart shown depicts the laptop survey results)
And also, what makes you think that Mac users are satisfied whether the product is performing or not?


P.
 
I'd love to know who they were asking. I like Apple but work in IT and most of our purchases are Dell's and they have great support. If you are not near an Apple Store then Dell beats them hands down because of onsite support. I can call in an issue and have the part the next day(even calling around 1-2pm) and have a tech install it within a day or two(only depending on the contract companys workload that week).
 
lilo777 said:
This survey tells half truth
Apple chooses not to compete on the market for affordable products where quality is generally lower. As far as Apple is concerned, the more relevant survey would be to ask buyers of computers priced above $1K. Would Apple still fare as well? Or perhaps HP's and Dell's enterprise hardware and services would kick in with their same date on site repairs?
Click to expand...

Apple chooses not to make cheap rubbish in other words? Isn't that exactly what the survey results are saying?

Now, if you were to look at market share comparisons you would see a somewhat different story. That's because many customers CHOOSE to purchase cheap rubbish.

Each set of statistics tells a different story. Not the same as saying 'half the truth'.
 
I've had my Macbook repaired half a dozen times in the past year. Most components have been replaced.

I don't call that great reliability.

My previous Mac laptops have been trouble free.

Despite the unreliability of my current machine, I've enjoyed this current Macbook Pro far better than the others, thanks to the processor ( others were PPC ), in nearly 3 years the laptop is still speedy.. I just worry about the next time it decides to stop working.
 
notabadname said:
Some say, well for the money, service should be better. Well, try buying a Vaio from Sony, a similarly priced computer to the Mac line. Then take it in with a problem to a Sony Style store at your local mall. Ha, ha . . . wait, let me know when you do it so I can see the reaction when you walk in with it. Or better yet, go into a Sony Style store with a flat cart with your old home computer stacked on it and tell them you want to buy a new one and transfer all your data from the old one. Ha, ha again. And yes, I have seen this at the Apple Store. It is simply a better customer experience. Do they get it right always? Of course not. But do they try to get it right? That is the difference in the ownership experience.
Click to expand...

You hit the nail on the head. Here in Austin, the Sony Style store was across the street from the Apple store at one open-air mall. Not anymore. The Sony store shut down a year ago. Would a Best Buy in one city allow someone to make an appointment for detailed questions about a device bought at another city's store? Not gonna happen.

Sony used to be the lead factor in cool. Not anymore. Would you see people buying VAIO machines to use in corporate meetings? In the past, yes. Not these days. Instead, Macbooks are normal, and even preferred in some cases because they are a known good standard of quality.
 
notabadname said:
Huh? That's like saying BMW chooses only to make high quality cars, so it's not fare to compare them to Kias. The comparison is completely valid, and is what helps people make decisions about spending more for a (potentially) higher quality product. If Apple's results were poor, then we would know that paying more does not result in a better ownership experience. Hyundai is a good example of a manufacturer who produces quality products that rank with the likes of Infiniti, Lexus and BMW, for a significantly lower cost of ownership.

Reviews and comparisons, from tomato sauce, to TV's and Printers, have generally always been about comparing similar products, not similar price. Consumer Reports compares all 4-door sport cross-overs together, be it BMW, Infiniti, Lexus, Ford or Kia. The same way they review all 15 inch laptops or 55 inch LCD TVs. Formatting rankings by cost would be tough. Is it for Laptops $700 - $999, or do you include the models for $1,050 too? Or should it only be for identical price? Additionally, Apple gets the same reliability and service reviews for is $999 MacBooks as it does for its $2,300 17 inch MacBook Pro.
Click to expand...

Did you ever see an article in car magazine comparing BMW and KIA? I did not think so. Comparisons are conducted in respective price categories. HP and Dell do have products in the same price category as Apple and this is where comparison makes sense. One should not expect to pay three times less for a laptop and expect the same quality (or should they?) and that's not accounting for Apple Care which lately became almost a requirement.
 
I've loved my iPhone/iPods over the years, but customer service was never something I thought Apple was particularly good at despite these sorts of surveys. Between having to pay for shipping after six months for service on a product that was still under warranty to having them wait to receive my iPod for service rather than shipping one right away and charging me after the fact if I didn't send in my original product, I always preferred other manufacturers methods.

Though I will say that the actual people were generally great and if I could find time to make it to an Apple store rather than shipping it in, it was always very easy. I just disliked Apple's choices.
 
frosted1030 said:
first, the sample was tainted. Out of 79,000 responses, i would bank on less than 300 were apple.
About apple fan-boy owners:
They spent a lot on the mac, so they are "happy", weather this means the mac is performing or they let it collect dust, they are satisfied because they believe in the "value" of spending more on a product, or the more you pay, the better it must be. Of those who use a mac and are totally satisfied, they maybe the only computers that they have used for years, and so they just don't understand the value of a pc.
Click to expand...

notabadname said:
the ultimate example of denial is in people who ignore results, regardless of source, if they do not support their own personal agenda.
Click to expand...

Bingo!! :)

frosted1030, why would a Mac user 'understand the value of a pc' any less than a PC user would understand the value of a Mac? Your assumptions are just idiotic.
 
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