> <http://www.consumerreports.org/main/detailv3.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id%20=305449>
>
> A similar survey of laptops would be very interesting,
> but I can't search to see if there is one, since I'm
> not a subscriber.
Well I am a subscriber so I went and found this from the March '04 issue:
<http://www.consumerreports.org/main/content/display_report.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=384455&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=333133&bmUID=1079215969924#>
I don't know if you will be able to see the page, I clicked on "repair
history" and found the following":
Repair history
For repair history data, we surveyed more than 57,000 Consumer Reports
subscribers. The chart shows the percentage that ever had a repair or a
serious problem. Over the past four years, 20 percent of laptops have
needed repair. Compaq and Gateway have been among the more repair-prone
brands.
Any brand's repair history includes models that have been more or less
reliable than others. Design or manufacturing changes, which we cannot
anticipate, may also affect a brand's repair record. Still, you increase
your chances of getting a reliable laptop by choosing from brands proven
reliable in the past.
>>Here there is a graphic that shows Apple being the best at about 18%
and Gateway being the worst at about 23%.
In between (best to worse) are Toshiba, Sony, IBM, HP, Dell and Compaq.
Based on laptops purchased 1999-2003. Data were standardized to
eliminate differences due to age and usage. Differences of 3 or more
points are meaningful.
Under "tech support" I found this:
March 2004
Technical support
Subscribers to ConsumerReports.org were surveyed on their most recent
experiences with manufacturers’ technical support from May 2002 to
November 2003. If everyone were completely satisfied, the reader score
would be 100; 80 would mean respondents were very satisfied, on average;
60, fairly well satisfied. Differences of 6 points or more are
meaningful. Solved problem indicates how many people said the
manufacturer solved their problem. Support staff gauges how
knowledgeable phone representatives seemed, how patient they were, and
whether they communicated clearly. Waiting on phone refers to time
waiting and other phone-system problems. We lacked enough data to report
on Web support for laptops.
In order of reader score.
Apple score 82
IBM score 69
Gateway score 64
Dell score 60
Toshiba score 59
HP score 55
Sony score 52
Compaq score 49
Based on more than 4,000 laptops bought between January 1999 and
November 2003.
Of course none of this changes my mind, I still like Thinkpads better
than any other PC laptop.
I do like my Powerbook G3 as well but don't think it's nearly as rugged
as the 560x.
-- Andrew in Ann Arbor technology is the answer, what was the question? _______________________________________________ Thinkpad mailing list Thinkpad@stderr.org http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/thinkpadReceived on Sat Mar 13 17:38:49 2004
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