Apple tops reliability

The reliability of Apple's Mac computers could prove to be a high selling point this holiday season, according to one report. The Cupertino-based company's Mac line topped Rescuecom's second annual computer reliability report, soaring ahead of second-place contender Lenovo (IBM) for the top spot. Rescuecom's report is based on technical assistance calls received by the company, which is not linked to any one hardware vendor. Rescuecom tallies service calls made while noting each type of computer requiring service, and calculates these numbers against each manufacturer's market share to produce an idea of how often each manufacturer's computers require technical support.

"The data in this year's survey reconfirms observations from last year's results, namely that Apple and Lenovo's products and service continue to set the pace in the industry," said David A. Milman, founder and CEO of Rescuecom.

Rescuecom suggests that customers stick with well-known brands and carefully research extended warranty options -- particularly when planning to keep a given computer longer than three years.

The survey was based on 46,000 service calls to Rescuecom, calculating the reliability score for each PC vendor on the calculated difference between overall U.S. martket share over a three-year period and the percentage of calls requesting service.

by MacNN Staff