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Apple 'Smokes the Competition' in Reliability Survey

I don't believe it

I do like Apple because you can go right to their store and talk to their own rep. and get a problem fixed. The nice thing about Apple is even if your product is out of warranty (iPhone or iPod) they will probably fix it or replace it for you anyways. My friend dropped his iPod and the lens shattered and they replaced it for him, which I'm suprised they did.

I have had a few Macbook Pro's with failed graphics chips and failed super drives. My PC's have never had any of these issues. And no, I don't abuse my notebooks, they sit at my desk attached to my 30" monitor and leave that spot maybe once a year.
 
I've owned 7 Macs since 2006 (MBP, MB, MP and iMac), and each of them have had their issues from time to time, just like any computer. The real success that Apple have is with their amazing customer service.

Each and every time I have had an issue they have been remarkable, and have gone over and above in every situation.

They normally cost more than a regular PC, but my goodness paying a little extra for quality is worth it, in software and hardware. I can't even believe how much time I spent fiddling with Win 95 and onwards with software conflicts, crashes, restarting, tinkering with hardware, .dll errors etc.

Thank you Apple!
 
this agrees with the consumer reports too, apple laptop models were at the top of their reviews
 
This is the sort of topic that draws out the frothing at the mouth anti-apple crowd who project their strong emotions onto others by calling them "fanboy".

As to customer service, I personally know several current mac owners who switched from Dell specifically because of poor customer service (and poor product that instigated the need for customer service).
 
cult hero said:
I've only had to return a couple things but to list:

2 Magsafe power supplies. They swapped them without checking anything. "Oh, let me grab a new one."
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This doesn't match my experience. Even though they had new units sitting on the shelf, they couldn't replace mine under warranty due to "company policy" requiring them to order it as a service part.

So I was without a power supply for about a *week* until the service part came in.

This was the one time Apple service failed me. Other times service has been good and expedient, so maybe this was just one-time stupidity. I hope it doesn't happen again! (though it will matter less since I now own two magsafes. Never be without a spare again!)
 
zorinlynx said:
This doesn't match my experience. Even though they had new units sitting on the shelf, they couldn't replace mine under warranty due to "company policy" requiring them to order it as a service part.

So I was without a power supply for about a *week* until the service part came in.

This was the one time Apple service failed me. Other times service has been good and expedient, so maybe this was just one-time stupidity. I hope it doesn't happen again! (though it will matter less since I now own two magsafes. Never be without a spare again!)
Click to expand...

Wow. Where was that? I've several times walked in with bricks and had them swapped w/o any issue. One time the geniuses weren't busy and the guy handed me a new one before I even got to the bar (he saw me walking in with it.)
 
RalfTheDog said:
Every company is concerned about reputation. I don't care if it is a thrift store or Harvard Medical. Reputation is not about exclusivity, it is about quality and not getting knifed in the back while taking your computer to your car. If too many people get mugged, raped or killed in a year at your store, people will stop purchasing things from you. Not long ago, another mall in OKC was shut down because of these kinds of things happening. The people who caused problems at the first mall are moving to the Apple mall.
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Understandable and your point is well taken. My point was if this mall was as bad in terms of crime as the other poster said it was Apple wouldn't place their stores there. I don't think the mall just suddenly became violent, it had to be that way for quite a while to have developed such a bad rep. Now if Apple knew this from the get go then it was all about money for them and not their image or reputation.
 
I would say more reliable on average, but let's not get carried away. Are they more honest? Would others not sell defective products and say nothing to the consumer?
 
No info...

kalsta said:
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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Look for the info about how many mac users answered the survey.. not published. Your conclusions are very suspect.
 
Their service is great, imo. They replaced my faulty iPod 4th gen in 4 days. That included Saturday delivery, which was much appreciated. :apple:
 
I'm going to have to disagree with the survey... however, it is what it is and all I can speak on is from personal experience. I've seen a lot more failures on Sony machines than any other. With that being said, I've had more failures with Mac hardware than anything I've had...even in my IT career. Granted I've seen much less failures initially, but in the long run they fail more frequently in the long run in my experience. For example, I fully expected my fully loaded $3500 i7 MBP to run flawless when I bought it. Had no fear of DOA. However, I fully expect it to have a major failure after about 3, maybe 4 years. With another manufacturer I'd more expect them to show up DOA, but their longevity once the unit proves itself seems to be better. Other than one of my original ipod nano every other Apple device I've ever had has eventually died to the point where it either didn't turn on or function. This of course excludes my newer current products such as my Mini, MBP, iPad, and Nano. On the flip side, I've never once had a PC based laptop die completely, and I've had a dozen of them personally. I have a 166mhz IBM thinkpad with Windows for Workgroups 3.11 kicking around that booted the last time I tried it.

I'm not trying to knock Apple products.... it's just my personal experience that they almost seem to have some sort of internal fuse or timer that causes it to fail at some predetermined length of time. How's that for conspiracy theory? :D:D
 
I am not surprised to see the statistics. My :apple: products have been reliable, especially compared to the PC laptops (one model in particular:Dell, >2000$, year 2005) I had before.

My old MBP I purchased in 2006 is still running strong with my Mom and my current MBP is rock solid, too. Heavy lifting with FCP and Compressor with no issues what so ever. It is a well designed, refined product IMO and not clustered together piece of crxx my Dell was :)
 
kalsta said:
Bingo!! :)

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.
Click to expand...

Unlike PC users ever touching a Mac before passing their ignorant judgements, most Mac users have been PC users, which is why they are now Mac users. If anyone knows the value of a PC it would definitely be a large community of Mac users. ;)
 
I love my MBP 17. But I take issue with this survey. Let's go through the categories.

  • Problem on arrival: Is this BTO? Direct ship? Buy from store? All of the above? What does this encompass? Because I find it EXTREMELY difficult to accept that Asus, Acer, Lenovo and Dell for Business have more problems on arrival than Apple. Especially given the numerous issues with MacBook Pros as of late: i7 overheat issue, graphics switching issue, bottom clicking issue, MagSafe fraying issue, screen hinge issue, etc.
  • Any significant problem: This one seems accurate. Though I question Toshiba being rated better than Lenovo. In my experience Toshiba laptops are raft with significant issues.
  • Any core competent problem: this one appears accurate except, again, Toshiba being rated high.
  • Any failed component replaced: This is partially wrong. Dell for Business will absolutely replace failed components as long as it's verified to be a failed component not caused by the customer. That's the same for any laptop vendor. I would also rate Apple lower in this regard; they don't replace components, they attempt to bandage the problem, and if they fail, replace the whole machine.
  • Overall satisfaction with reliability: this one is almost accurate. Acer's quality ratings have been significantly higher than when they first started out in the US though.
  • Phone hold time: Every time I have called Dell for Business there has never been a hold time.
  • Average phone service rating: this doesn't make sense for like Asus. Why is hold time n/a (which seems to imply no phone support) yet they are rated high in phone service?
  • Problem was never resolved: Accurate as far as laptops.
  • Service experience: This one is accurate.
 
frosted1030 said:
First, the sample was tainted. Out of 79,000 responses, I would bank on less than 300 were Apple.
.
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"Absent any actual facts I can go off of, I'll make up my own and then rant off them as if it is somehow justified" - Frosted
 
HLdan said:
Unlike PC users ever touching a Mac before passing their ignorant judgements, most Mac users have been PC users, which is why they are now Mac users. If anyone knows the value of a PC it would definitely be a large community of Mac users. ;)
Click to expand...

HLdan, I'd lean towards that assessment too. Both Mac and Windows adherents tend to be a little ignorant of the other side, but Windows ignorance is less likely given the simple fact that Windows PCs outnumber Macs by a huge magnitude. You'd have to be a hermit not to come across Windows in your world.

Our PC loving friend would have us believe Mac purchasers are a rare breed of creature that live in isolation with a little shrine setup to their own prosperity in which the Mac sits, gathering dust, as the proud centrepiece.

News flash: I use my Mac every day, and earn my income from it. I'm happier and more productive on a Mac, and that's why I buy them. I run Windows on Parallels when I need to test stuff (just like our PC loving friend has a Mac mini for development) and I loathe going in there. That's just me though — one small person sharing his experience, just like every person who participated in that survey.
 
mingoglia said:
…all I can speak on is from personal experience. … I've had more failures with Mac hardware than anything I've had...even in my IT career. Granted I've seen much less failures initially, but in the long run they fail more frequently in the long run in my experience.
Click to expand...

To be fair, I've had my fair share of hardware failures with Macs over the years too. And the service I received from Apple here in Australia a few years ago was abysmal really. I can only assume it's a lot better in the States.

Most of my problems were with older iMacs, but I've since started buying minis because I hate glossy screens, and the minis have been fine. My MacBook Pro has been into repair too, but that was a known issue with it's graphics card and they replaced it for free, so I was happy with that.
 
HLdan said:
Understandable and your point is well taken. My point was if this mall was as bad in terms of crime as the other poster said it was Apple wouldn't place their stores there. I don't think the mall just suddenly became violent, it had to be that way for quite a while to have developed such a bad rep. Now if Apple knew this from the get go then it was all about money for them and not their image or reputation.
Click to expand...

It happened faster than you would think. A few years ago, this mall was the exclusive mall where all the rich people shopped. Unfortunately, the mall where all the gang banger wannabees did their stuff got shut down because of robberies stabbings and rapes (The old mall is technically open, but last time I checked, they only had three stores). After the old death mall collapsed, the morons all migrated to the new mall. The new mall does not have any security cameras in the parking garage. This makes things a bit more fun.

They have about one violent crime at the new mall every 30 days. The last time I checked the place out, they had put sharp collectors in the bathrooms so the drug users would have a safe place to put their needles. I needed to get some cash from the ATM, however I could not get to it because a bunch of guys were messing with it. They had a stack of credit cards, they were going through them one at a time pulling out cash.

The mall looks nice, but you can see a degradation in less than 60 days. In two years, people will be calling for the new mall to close down.

Just a few local stories about some of the things that happened. Things have turned downward after these stories were written.

http://www.news9.com/global/story.asp?s=13159312
http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=13332145
http://okc.about.com/b/2009/03/19/penn-square-crimes.htm
 
mingoglia said:
I'm going to have to disagree with the survey... however, it is what it is and all I can speak on is from personal experience. I've seen a lot more failures on Sony machines than any other. With that being said, I've had more failures with Mac hardware than anything I've had...even in my IT career. Granted I've seen much less failures initially, but in the long run they fail more frequently in the long run in my experience. For example, I fully expected my fully loaded $3500 i7 MBP to run flawless when I bought it. Had no fear of DOA. However, I fully expect it to have a major failure after about 3, maybe 4 years. With another manufacturer I'd more expect them to show up DOA, but their longevity once the unit proves itself seems to be better. Other than one of my original ipod nano every other Apple device I've ever had has eventually died to the point where it either didn't turn on or function. This of course excludes my newer current products such as my Mini, MBP, iPad, and Nano. On the flip side, I've never once had a PC based laptop die completely, and I've had a dozen of them personally. I have a 166mhz IBM thinkpad with Windows for Workgroups 3.11 kicking around that booted the last time I tried it.

I'm not trying to knock Apple products.... it's just my personal experience that they almost seem to have some sort of internal fuse or timer that causes it to fail at some predetermined length of time. How's that for conspiracy theory? :D:D
Click to expand...

Money is the call. Nothing will be allowed to last too long. Owners expected their $3000 imac's to run flawlessly, but they didn't last. Apple is not as bad as many PC makers, but are they getting their?
 
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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.
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.
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First of all, I suppose one of the "basic" things that you have turned off on your Win7 machine is the spell check?

I, too, have been building computers for over 15 years. Using and supporting them for over 20. I still use and support Windows machines. Including Win 7. After buying my first Mac a little under two years ago I have never even considered buying another Windows machine.

Sorry, in addition to the fact that your "statistics" appear to have been pulled from your a**, I would say that Apple's growing market share in a stagnant economy, numerous and unanimous customer satisfaction surveys, and my own and my friends' and family's experiences kind of outweigh your statements.
 
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