Asus jumps to 1st, Dell finishes last

Apple has moved up to the second position in Rescuecom's latest computer reliability ranking. The company scored a lower percentage of calls and almost doubled its reliability score to take second place, with a result that would have been good enough for first place in the previous quarter. Asus had a huge, 400 percent jump in score to take first in the second quarter. Apple and Asus bumped IBM/Lenovo to third despite the company's improved numbers, while Toshiba and HP/Compaq maintained fourth and fifth, respectively, despite improved scores.

The scores are said to gauge the quality of hardware and services provided by each manufacturer. Rescuecom tracks its tech-support calls to establish which brands account for the fewest service issues, while the overall numbers are adjusted by market share information from each company. As a third-party support provider, Rescuecom receives calls for computers no longer covered by service agreements from the original manufacturer.

Although high scores are typically viewed as an indication of top-quality hardware, Rescuecom suggests that Asus, maker of low-cost Eee Machines, may have seen a major bump from customers inexpensively replacing defective machines rather than face the time and cost associated with repairs. Apple's consistent placement in the top three is said to be an accurate indicator of high quality machines and customer support, as Macs and MacBooks carry higher average prices.

The rankings saw Dell in last place, with a large margin of outside support calls indicating poor reliability and poor customer service. Sony, Acer and Samsung placed sixth through eighth, but still ahead of Dell.

By Electronista Staff