Apple drops to 5th place in LaptopMag's brand rankings after leading for multiple years
Apple has lost its place at the top of Laptop Mag's annual ranking of the best notebook brands after six years, with the MacBook producer dropping down to joint-fifth place, after being penalized over the high cost of its products and the apparent need to acquire dongles to expand its connectivity.
In the 2017 list of the publication's Best & Worst Laptop Brands, Lenovo rose three places to take first place, the position Apple has occupied on the chart since the list debuted in 2010. Asus, HP, and Acer all gained ground in the table, to second, fourth, and fifth respectively, while Dell joined Apple in losing ground, moving from second to third.
According to the report card, Apple scored 78 out of a possible 100 points. The company scored relatively highly across many of the categories, with support and warranty categories considered to be "second to none," but in the Value and Selection category it scored a low 6 out of 15.
In the explanation of why Apple was scored low, it is claimed there is not as much "value and variety" as other vendors, offering "only a handful of laptops, and most start at $1,299."
"If you're looking for an affordable laptop, don't look at Apple," writes the publication. "Featuring just five systems spread across three lines with the least expensive starting at $999, Apple doesn't exactly have a wide range of computers to choose from.
The report goes on to note that the MacBook Air hasn't received a refresh in "over two years," and that it "wouldn't be surprised if the company phased it out soon." Apple is also criticized for not offering a 2-in-1 notebook or one with a touchscreen, excluding the Touch Bar on the latest MacBook Pro models.
Editor in chief Mark Spoonauer suggests the decision to discontinue the 11-inch MacBook Air as the smallest notebook was poor, with the 12-inch MacBook thought to be too expensive as a viable alternative. The use of older-generation processors is also brought up, with the 13-inch Air using a 5th-generation Intel Core processor while the market uses 7th-generation chips, and the use of underpowered Core m3 and m5 processors.
Spoonauer is also not satisfied with Apple's current marketing of the iPad Pro as an affordable notebook replacement. "There's no touchpad on this machine's optional keyboard," he argues, before insisting "iOS simply isn't as good as macOS for multitasking."
On the subject of USB Type-C, it is suggested on the scorecard that users need a "bagful of dongles" to use the newer MacBooks in the summary. In the more detailed explanation, the "lack of port options" is said to have hampered the MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro review scores.
For the 13 out of 15 score for design, Apple has been declared the "rose-gold standard," due to the 12-inch MacBook's rose gold variant's existence, though the lack of other color options is noted. Apple's continued development of thin, light notebooks helped buoy the score in the category.
Apple's support is also praised as the standard bearer for the industry, with easy-to-navigate support pages and helpful support agents, though with a lack of support via FaceBook. The company also gains the maximum points available in Warranty, the smallest point-scoring category, for giving face-to-face support via the Apple Store Genius Bar.
The superior Apple support was highlighted in another report published in March, with Apple scoring 93 out of 100 and topping the rankings for the third year in a row.
In the 2017 list of the publication's Best & Worst Laptop Brands, Lenovo rose three places to take first place, the position Apple has occupied on the chart since the list debuted in 2010. Asus, HP, and Acer all gained ground in the table, to second, fourth, and fifth respectively, while Dell joined Apple in losing ground, moving from second to third.
According to the report card, Apple scored 78 out of a possible 100 points. The company scored relatively highly across many of the categories, with support and warranty categories considered to be "second to none," but in the Value and Selection category it scored a low 6 out of 15.
In the explanation of why Apple was scored low, it is claimed there is not as much "value and variety" as other vendors, offering "only a handful of laptops, and most start at $1,299."
"If you're looking for an affordable laptop, don't look at Apple," writes the publication. "Featuring just five systems spread across three lines with the least expensive starting at $999, Apple doesn't exactly have a wide range of computers to choose from.
The report goes on to note that the MacBook Air hasn't received a refresh in "over two years," and that it "wouldn't be surprised if the company phased it out soon." Apple is also criticized for not offering a 2-in-1 notebook or one with a touchscreen, excluding the Touch Bar on the latest MacBook Pro models.
Editor in chief Mark Spoonauer suggests the decision to discontinue the 11-inch MacBook Air as the smallest notebook was poor, with the 12-inch MacBook thought to be too expensive as a viable alternative. The use of older-generation processors is also brought up, with the 13-inch Air using a 5th-generation Intel Core processor while the market uses 7th-generation chips, and the use of underpowered Core m3 and m5 processors.
Spoonauer is also not satisfied with Apple's current marketing of the iPad Pro as an affordable notebook replacement. "There's no touchpad on this machine's optional keyboard," he argues, before insisting "iOS simply isn't as good as macOS for multitasking."
On the subject of USB Type-C, it is suggested on the scorecard that users need a "bagful of dongles" to use the newer MacBooks in the summary. In the more detailed explanation, the "lack of port options" is said to have hampered the MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro review scores.
For the 13 out of 15 score for design, Apple has been declared the "rose-gold standard," due to the 12-inch MacBook's rose gold variant's existence, though the lack of other color options is noted. Apple's continued development of thin, light notebooks helped buoy the score in the category.
Apple's support is also praised as the standard bearer for the industry, with easy-to-navigate support pages and helpful support agents, though with a lack of support via FaceBook. The company also gains the maximum points available in Warranty, the smallest point-scoring category, for giving face-to-face support via the Apple Store Genius Bar.
The superior Apple support was highlighted in another report published in March, with Apple scoring 93 out of 100 and topping the rankings for the third year in a row.
Comments
Just ignore that every study done in the last 20 years shows that they’re more affordable than PCs for what they offer (as a platform as a whole).
Which… hurts the brand?
No, no. You don’t get to downrank a company for what it doesn’t offer. If you do that, you have to downrank all PCs for lacking security, ease of use, and platform integration.
So buy a netbook from 2009, dipshit. Do you want a pocketable laptop or something?
No shit; it’s a tablet, dumbass. You whine about not having a touchscreen laptop and then whine when you CAN touch the screen that there’s no touchpad? Fuck yourself.
Oh, so just like the idiots whining in 1996, then.
Was Apple voted down when they only offered one color? If not, they need to be fucking sued.
This is a joke post, right? It’s just 9 days late, right? FUCKING RIGHT?!
Funny how spec-whoring replaces use cases and real user experience when it comes down to ranking. But alas. That's how we know the game already.
Though I dont care as much about the ports, the Pro model needs them. Dongs work better and are more acceptable on machines with smaller screens (Air versions).
The Air / 12" and below models really need to move to the Ax ARM chip, and the Pro versions with larger screens have (more powerful) Intel processors.
A transformer sub 12" model would be useful as long as it's OS X (which would be complicated).
Apple has done a poor job pricing laptops... (agreed)
I currently have an Android phone + IPad + cheep PC
I'd rather have a transformer 10.5 - 12" + large screen IPhone.
"what about apple?" They ask "I heard they make good computers"
"oh no", says the shop expert "they used to. But now..." shakes head with an air of pity.
"Take a look at this machine. You k ow apple nowadays only goes to 10. But this one goes to 11".
Onvious ending to follow...
They really do not need to fulfill individual needs, so if Mr. Spoonauer is "not satisfied" doesn't make him right. People vote with their wallets. Always have. Always will. And apple listens to this. You can argue about the speed (e.g. Mac Pro). But in the end I would expect the people in charge there in Cupertino being much more competent in such decisions than you or me.
Or do you actually mean "Personally, I would prefer if Apple made..."?
tallest skil said: tallest skil <-> Macalope Hmmmmmmmm....
Spouse 1:
Loving 10/10
Supportive 10/10
Car knowledge 4/10
Intelligence 10/10
Thriftyness 6/10
Overall 7/10
Spouse 2:
Loving 3/10
Supportive 3/10
Car knowledge 10/10
Intelligence 9/10
Thriftyness 10/10
Overall 7.5/10
So I guess that most people would prefer the second spouse because even though he or she doesn't love you or support you, the other items make up for it. (S/he hates me and the kids, but at least s/he takes out the garbage and doesn't waste money.)
TLDR: This way of looking at the world is stupid.
Imagine if they use that scenario for cars.
As for dongles, yea it does suck but you won't have to replace your laptop when more USB-C is released.