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Apple Tops Consumer Reports List

Posted by pudge on from the if-i-cannot-say-anything-nice dept.

memoryhole writes "It seems Apple has come out on top in recent Consumer Reports surveys regarding technical support and hardware failure. Way to go Apple!"

9 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Linux -Os X switch by curious.corn · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You know... I somehow miss the hassles from tinkering with Linux distros: it taught me a lot of things. Sigh! My OsX only panicked twice in 4 months! (USB)

    --
    Mi domando chi à il mandante di tutte le cazzate che faccio - Altan
    1. Re:Linux -Os X switch by Hanji · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The great thing about OS X is that you can have access to most of that low-level stuff (although obviously not all) if you want, but you also get a computer that "just works" when you want it to, and that you can get stuff done on without understanding every last detail of how it works, and without setting up every last piece by hand.

      Don't get me wrong, I like Linux, but especially for stuff like laptops with less common hardware, it's just not worth the hassle of making it all work (And before you mod me down, I have actually tried Linux, both Mandrake and Debian, and this comment is based on experience, not popular opinion from /.)

      --
      A Minesweeper clone that doesn't suck
  2. Re:Apple vs Dell by BigBir3d · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Of course, when looking at the number of units shipped, you think Apple could have a little better quality control (Dell sells nearly 10x the number of computers based on % of market).

  3. Re:Apple vs Dell by PurpleFloyd · · Score: 4, Insightful
    That's a percentage graph. For every 100 computers shipped, Apple had fewer of them come back than anyone else; thus, their QC beats Dell's.

    Also, Apple's tech support tends to be freakishly fast. I had a friend get a Powerbook G4's mobo replaced in 3 buisiness days, including shipping. She thought that she mislabeled the package and Airborne was shipping it back to her; she called Apple and they asked if the problem was fixed. Believe it or not, it was. If it wasn't for the price, I would buy from Apple every time, and that iPod is giving me a serious case of geek-lust.

    --

    That's it. I'm no longer part of Team Sanity.
  4. Re:Apple vs Dell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Price is an excuse, $799 gets you an eMac with all the software, $50 gets you an extra 500 MB memory (not in Apple but in the internet) and you get everything you need. $1000 gets you an iBook. Go fancy, for $1800 get an iMac with 17' lcd and rock, lots of exclusive software and the amazing OSX we are talking about. I bought a Powerbook G4 2 years ago when it first came out, used for work everyday and only had to replace the keyboard ($79 shipped from Apple) when the cat threw my coffee on it. For the same 2 years my iMac has been working as a base station (software only) for my WiFi connection 24 hours, no crashes whatsoever. My G3, Centris 660AV and the original MacPlus (1986) all work perfectly...it just works, so the initial "investment" has paid off enormously, never had to buy extended warranty. To call Apple expensive (maybe $100 or $200 more than a Dell and MS) is a HUGE mistake.

  5. Re:I love apple, but they could be alittle better. by pigthug · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Okay, see this from Apple's point-of-view. Let's say your're the person working at Apple. Someone calls and says he/she baught an open copy of AppleCare at CompUSA and wants to apply that to a computer he/she now owns. How do you reply? You look up the numbers and see that that said service has been registerred by someone else. How do you now "know" that the person on the phone is telling the truth? How can you distinguish this from, say, someone who lifted it out of another person's house because he/she found it lying on a table during a party? Think about it. As has been said, the onus is on YOU to prove to Apple that you're now the proper owner ... not on Apple. Now whether you can bring get on CompUSA's case is another thing ... but don't expect Apple to do this for you -- you have to do this for yourself.

  6. Not surprising. by Dr+Reducto · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It obviously helps that Apple makes the hardware AND software. Apple techs only have to know how to fix Mac hardware and software. It's based on the jack-of-all-trades dealy.

  7. Re:Read my lips and repeat very slowly by Dylan+Zimmerman · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Actually, I use Maya. I wouldn't use it on a standard eMac (mostly because of that whole 128 MB of RAM thing), but even if I did, I have a Wacom tablet with a three button, wireless, batteryless mouse. I SO love this thing! It's simply great. I use the stylus to make textures and the mouse to control Maya.

    Anyway, if you got at least a 512 MB stick of RAM, the eMac would make a pretty respectable Maya workstation. It has a reasonably powerful processor, a sufficient graphics card, FireWire (Maya Live MatchMoving. Mmmmmm), and enough hard drive space to store a few hours of DV quality footage. Plus, it's not very expensive, especially if you have a developer's discount.

    I would still prefer a nice dual 1.33 GHz Xserve for the actual rendedering, but an eMac would make a nice modeling machine.

  8. Re:They better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I'm willing to bet they don't "know thier stuff" as much as you say. Something wrong with this powerbook? No problem, we'll just swap the motherboard. I'm pretty sure most things get fixed this way. The time it saves to just replace a components then to troubleshoot it is probably a part of why their support happens to be so good.

    A/C $0.02 = -$0.02

    =)