Apple paces field in PC consumer satisfaction for 11th consecutive year
Despite booking a modest 3 percent year-over-year decline, Apple has once again claimed the top spot in the most recent American Customer Satisfaction Index rankings of personal computer manufacturers.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index's 2014 PC consumer satisfaction ratings
Apple's aggregate score of 84 -- down from 87 one year ago -- was enough to maintain a two-point lead over a gaggle of smaller companies, including Samsung, Lenovo, and Asus, which combined to score 82 points. Scores for those smaller firms were up 8 percent year-over-year.
The gap widens from there to Texas-based giant Dell, which scored 76 to come in third. Acer, Toshiba, and beleaguered Hewlett-Packard round out the top five.
Surprisingly, consumers showed a renewed interest in desktop computers. Satisfaction with those wall-bound machines ticked up by 3 percent year-over-year, compared to dips of 4 percent and 1 percent for laptops and tablets, respectively.
"The increase in customer satisfaction for PCs could mean two different things," ACSI Chairman and founder Claes Fornell said in a release. "Either the product is seen as more attractive now and is poised for a comeback, or it has higher customer satisfaction simply because those who were less than happy with it have moved to other devices. If dissatisfied customers leave and satisfied customers stay, average satisfaction may well go up."
The ACSI surveys some 70,000 consumers each year, benchmarking satisfaction with their most-used products and services. Those surveys have given Apple the top spot in the personal computer satisfaction rankings -- which also includes tablets -- in every ranking since 2004.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index's 2014 PC consumer satisfaction ratings
Apple's aggregate score of 84 -- down from 87 one year ago -- was enough to maintain a two-point lead over a gaggle of smaller companies, including Samsung, Lenovo, and Asus, which combined to score 82 points. Scores for those smaller firms were up 8 percent year-over-year.
The gap widens from there to Texas-based giant Dell, which scored 76 to come in third. Acer, Toshiba, and beleaguered Hewlett-Packard round out the top five.
Surprisingly, consumers showed a renewed interest in desktop computers. Satisfaction with those wall-bound machines ticked up by 3 percent year-over-year, compared to dips of 4 percent and 1 percent for laptops and tablets, respectively.
"The increase in customer satisfaction for PCs could mean two different things," ACSI Chairman and founder Claes Fornell said in a release. "Either the product is seen as more attractive now and is poised for a comeback, or it has higher customer satisfaction simply because those who were less than happy with it have moved to other devices. If dissatisfied customers leave and satisfied customers stay, average satisfaction may well go up."
The ACSI surveys some 70,000 consumers each year, benchmarking satisfaction with their most-used products and services. Those surveys have given Apple the top spot in the personal computer satisfaction rankings -- which also includes tablets -- in every ranking since 2004.
Comments
the way this is setup, it would be possible for samsung to have a higher number than apple but one would never know because of the way it's rolled up.
Samsung sells very few PCs in the USA.
The more unusual omission is lumping Lenovo in the "All Others" category.
bad math. why round samsung and others in into the "other" category before the compare?
the way this is setup, it would be possible for samsung to have a higher number than apple but one would never know because of the way it's rolled up.
Someone or ones would almost have to be higher for this arithmetic...
Also, when I subtract 76 from 82, ! keep getting 6, not 8...I'll probably have to reinstall
my OS, bringing Apple's score even lower...
Someone or ones would almost have to be higher for this arithmetic...
Also, when I subtract 76 from 82, ! keep getting 6, not 8...I'll probably have to reinstall
my OS, bringing Apple's score even lower...
I'm also having that problem with almost all their numbers: 80 minus 74 keeps coming up as 6 when clearly it's 8%. 78 minus 75 keeps showing up as 3 when it's obviously 4.
My suggestion, if you're going to completely make up numbers to get press at least make the math work. We can check that ourselves. We don't really have a way to double check their ratings but I'm sure they must be accurate.
Ie: 76 x 1.08 = ~82
This is how you check each column. 1.08 represents adding the original number 8% which gives you the shown results. Try to think a bit before you post people.
8% of 76 is ~6
You don't just add/subtract the old value from the new one. They are showing the percentage of the increase not the exact value of the increase.
Easy method: 76 x 1.08 = ~ 82
It's % increase, not difference between old number and 100%. I'm guessing they are rounding on all numbers as well...
Clickbaiters... Can't live with 'em, can't DDOS 'em.
The numbers are just fine. The percent change is calculated as a percent that the change is of the original standing.
A decrease of 6 is actually 8% of the original value of the 82.
Imagine if the rating decreased from 2% to 1%. According to your logic, that would represent a decrease of 1%, when in fact only half as may people would now be satisfied. If something decreases by half, that is a 50% decrease.
It might help to think of the satisfaction ratings as scores out of 100 rather than as percents. If your score went fro 82 to 76, you would have a decrease of 6 points, but a percentage decrease of 8%.
Surprisingly, consumers showed a renewed interest in desktop computers. Satisfaction with those wall-bound machines ticked up by 3 percent year-over-year, compared to dips of 4 percent and 1 percent for laptops and tablets, respectively.
I am not surprised because generally speaking and specially for the iMac, a good desktop computer offer the best computing experience for desk bound activity. Perhaps the satisfaction ratings reflect that when people buy a desk based computer these days they do it because they know it is what they need. Laptops have taken over and desktops are in the minority. For my money the iMac is the king of the desk.
Meanwhile MacRumors is running a click bait Business Insider worthy story...
I wonder why they call it "MacRumors"...?
+1! 2300 euros for a laptop that isn't expected to live more than 3 years even according to some of their tech support...
tisk tisk apple, gave me dat wallet ache / summertime sadness
Apple doesn't need to satisfy their current loyal customers because there will always be someone ready to take their place. They deny their mistakes and move on. They still have not admitted fault in the thousands of dead 2011 MacBook Pros. No matter where we turn we are told we are isolated cases or there are not enough of us to be a problem. Apple is not interested in the 15,000 plus signatures on the petition by owners of dead Macs all over the world, and has yet to open their mouth.
When I made it far up the ladder of customer service I told them I own TWO dead 2011 MacBooks, bought in two different cities and six months apart. One died just over 3 years and the other died at 2 1/2 years. I was informed there are no recalls because they have no record of a widespread problem and there is no manufacturing defect. I replied to him that APPLE may think it is a tiny percentage, but to ME it is NOT. I have TWO dead 2011 MacBooks and that is 100% failure in my book and no coincidence.
Apple Customer service suggests I sink another $610 to fix the $3600 I spent. No thank you.
No new iphone6 for me.
Well, you certainly have a different perception of "responsibility" than me. AMD is Apple's problem, not mine. They have a B2B relationship. My relationship with Apple is a B2C. I bought from Apple. On a Apple store. An Apple product, designed and tested(?) by Apple with Apple Care. So you say "Apple is probably trying to pressure AMD". It may or may not be true. In any case, thousands of loyal customesr who have paid for a premium product ("pro") are now without their work main tool - and the worse, at least for me - no information or position from Apple so far. If you read articles on this you will see that this issue started, as a mass issue, around last year's end. So far, nothing from Apple. Tim Cook mentioned "excellence"and "self-honest to admit when they are wrong"...that is what these thousands of people are waiting for(or paying expensive to fix it, sometimes more than once! I am not confident to pay around US$ 1,200 (official price provided by an authorized Apple Center here in Brazil) for a 3 month warranted fix that several people are reporting that does not fix it at all). have a look at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2011mbp/ or at http://www.change.org/p/timothy-d-cook-replace-or-fix-all-2011-macbook-pro-with-graphics-failure
Samsung has also just decided to stop selling laptops in Europe entirely now including Chromebooks:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/23/6834755/samsung-to-end-laptop-sales-in-europe
Samsung's Chromebooks were among the most popular Chromebooks. I suspect they will eventually drop their entire PC lineup worldwide because they don't need it.
Apple's playing a shrewd game on the PC side because the PC manufacturers are all competing against each other cutting margins to unsustainable levels, cutting quality and service while Apple just sits back and reaps the profits and nothing the PC manufacturers do is making a dent. They gained this privileged position due to their integrated business model.
"When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength.
Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue."