IDG's PC World Publishes Results of Annual Reliability & Service Survey18 December 2005
For the twelfth year, PC World, the most widely-read computer or business magazine, surveyed its subscribers to gauge the reliability and service of hardware vendors in the following categories: desktop PCs, notebooks, printers, digital cameras, wireless gateways, and audio players. The article is featured in the January 2006 issue and is available on newsstands now.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051215/SFTH057
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051018/SFTU093LOGO )
Though few hardware makers stood out for reliability or service performance this year, there were some highlights. This is the first year Alienware has received enough feedback to be included and it was one of only two desktop makers that received an "above average" rating in Satisfaction with Reliability. Canon and Sony both did well in digital cameras, Canon remaining at the top of the chart and Sony making a dramatic improvement from last year.
There were three key trends in PC World's 2006 Reliability & Service survey:
-- Ongoing problems with overseas tech support; language barriers continu o make communication difficult
-- All products were slightly more reliable this year
-- Growing trend of users moving away from phone support and heading t ompany Web sites as vendors do a better job of supplying relevan nswers there
Although manufacturers are attempting to move toward support on their Web sites, delays in response from online tech support were a common complaint. To compound the problem, information on some manufacturers' sites tended to be less relevant, less coherent, and less likely to resolve the problem than phone-based tech support. Though vendors have attempted to make first-time resolution a top service goal, fewer people this year said their problem was resolved after the first time they contacted a company's tech support than in years past.
OVERALL RELIABILITY: DESKTOPS AND LAPTOPS
BETTER THAN AVERAGE AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE
DESKTOPS -- Alienware, Apple, CyberPower
eMachines, Acer, Lenovo,
Independent sellers, MPC,
PowerSpec, Shuttle, Sony,
Compaq, Dell, Gateway,
HP, Systemax, ABS
NOTEBOOKS Lenovo, Apple Acer, Averatec, Dell, Compaq
Fujitsu, Gateway, HP,
Indepednent sellers, Sony,
Toshiba, eMachines
Overall PC reliability ratings were based on the following: any hardware or software problem, problems on arrival, failed component, failed core component (CPU, motherboard, RAM, graphics chip, hard drive, or power supply), and general satisfaction with reliability.
In desktop PCs, only "Independent sellers" received a score of "better than average" in Service Satisfaction; six out of the 17 companies were "average," and 10 received too few responses to be ranked. Among notebook makers, four companies were ranked as "average" in the Service Satisfaction category, one was "below average," and eight received too few responses to be ranked.
Of the four types of peripherals rated in overall reliability, Canon inkjet printers were the only standout. The majority of peripherals were deemed "average:"
OVERALL RELIABILITY: PERIPHERALS
BETTER THAN AVERAGE AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE
PRINTERS Inkjet: Canon Inkjet: HPInkjet: Brother,
Laser: none Laser: Brother, HP, Dell, Epson,
Multifunction: none Samsung, Minolta, Dell Lexmark
Multifunction: Canon, Laser: Xerox,
Dell, Epson, HPLexmark
Multifunction:
Lexmark, Brother
DIGITAL -- Canon, Sony, Casio, HP, Vivitar
CAMERAS Fujifilm, Kodak, Nikon,
Panasonic, Pentax,
Olympus, Konica Minolta
WIRELESS -- Belkin, D-Link, Linksys,2Wire
GATEWAYS Motorola, Netgear, Cisco,
SMC
AUDIO -- Apple, Creative, Dell, -- PLAYERS iRiver, Samsung, Sony, RCA
Conducted in conjunction with Lynd Bacon & Associates, the Web-based survey was fielded from May 1 through August 1, 2005. Over 35,000 PC World subscribers were polled about the computers and peripherals they use at work and at home, and responses were limited to devices that were three years old or younger. The data was analyzed using multivariate statistics and advanced psychometrics to determine which companies performed significantly better or worse than the competition.
About PC World:
PC World Communications, Inc., a subsidiary of IDG, is the publisher of PC World, PCWorld.com (http://www.pcworld.com), and home of the PC World Test Center. The winner of the 2005 Maggie Award for Best Computer Magazine/Consumer, PC World is the most widely-read computer or business magazine with a readership of over 5.2 million (MRI, Fall 2005). With an average of over 6.4 million unique visitors per month (HitBox, September - November 2005), PCWorld.com, winner of the 2005 Neal Award for Best Web Site, is a leading online resource for technology product buyers and users.
About IDG:
International Data Group (IDG) is the world's leading technology media, research, and event company. A privately-held company, IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers including Bio-IT World, CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Network World, and PC World. The company features the largest network of technology-specific Web sites with more than 400 around the world. IDG is also a leading producer of more than 170 computer-related events worldwide including LinuxWorld Conference & Expo(R), Macworld Conference & Expo(R), DEMO(R), and IDC Directions. IDC provides global market research and advice through offices in 50 countries. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com .
CONTACT:
Heidi Tanaka, 415-978-3168
heidi_tanaka@pcworld.com
NOTE: All product and company names are trademarks of their respective companies.
Source: prnewswire
All trademarks and copyrighted information contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
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