Consumers' Reports went with a very simple metrics. Read the article:
"CR defines serious and catastrophic breakdowns in a way that, perhaps, long-time computer jocks like us may not. In a comment on the CR web site, Mary Elizabeth Bernal, who works at CR, noted that
". . . [O]ur laptop reliability survey is designed to capture the ownership experiences of "everyday" people, as they perceive it. . . . [T]his survey allows our organization to provide the general public with a holistic understanding of what they can expect from the laptops currently available for purchase on the US market. Furthermore, let us assure you that . . . we do define what we mean by "serious" and "catastrophic" breakdowns in the survey."When I left Silicon Valley for the mountains of northern Arizona 10 years ago, I was startled at how differently "everyday" people saw computers. It's binary: work; or, not work.
They don't say - "oh it's a hardware problem, no bad on Microsoft." No, they say "my Windows notebook stinks 'cause it broke." CR is doing the absolute right thing.
Did your computer work or not work. Very easy question to answer. Yes/No. How often did it Work/Not Work. Those questions are the questions people are most concerned with. Does a computer work when they need it to work.
Remember that this article refers to a *survey of users.*
Any survey of reliability is going to be a survey of users, bolobaby. It has to be. There is no other way to measure the metric because no one complains about a computer that doesn't break, and non-broken computers are never sent to a repair depot and don't get counted in a percentage of machines repaired. . . because they haven't been.
Further, this was a survey of 56,000 users. . . it was likely a very well responded survey where you are not going to get a bunch of rabid Apple users skewing the results as you imply. People are generally honest in reporting their experiences. Contrary to your belief's bolobaby, Apple users hold Apple to a higher standard as far as quality control is concerned than general PC users. Apple users EXPECT a quality experience and complain loudly when they don't get it! They don't sweep unacceptable user experience under the rug as you assert.
KarlInOhio, try to get bolobaby to specify anything about Apple that is actually true. He will spout myths that are easily refuted.
There’s one small bit of data about notebook prices, *but only for one specific BRAND and TWO models*. Gee, I wonder why they didn’t do a cross-brand/model price parity comment? Maybe it didn’t support the conclusion that the author wanted? We’ll never know, because the amount of data provided is so limited.
The sample of 56,000 would cover that, when one make stands head and shoulders above all the rest. They also addressed the cost factor in their article, bolobaby. There is something else at work. . . and that is the OS running on the other machines that may be built to the same standards as Apple's.
Frankly, you seem to be the one who is tossing garbage in, garbage out in your commentary.
I love it when the paid social marketer tries to butt in to the conversation of others. The best part is that he thinks he owns this thread and we’re not allowed to comment on it without his express approval (which is only granted, of course, if you toe the Apple line).
So, just between us - and not the paid social marketer - please be clear that I am not saying any one product is more reliable than the other. I’m simply pointing out that surveys are not facts, they are measure of opinion. As the paid social marketer who graces FR amply demonstrates, for some people, Apple can do no wrong, so any survey is inherently biased. I have yet to meet a single person who believes the same of Microsoft, and am more inclined to believe that Microsoft carries enough baggage to tend overly negative regardless of facts.
These are opinions, of course, but since the whole premise of the post is based on opinion sampling, I think it is fair to share a slightly skeptical view of any survey based approach to.measure reliability.