Apple gives more satisfaction
The Register is a newsletter published in 33 Glasshouse Street. (Although this is not the military prison in Colchester, the inmates still take a pride in dressing as if they were. None of them would have been in my regiment, the First Foot and Mouth Deserters, as a start.)
In their ill-gotten gear and slovenly wear they produce probably the best IT newsletter in the world. So they could almost be forgiven. Almost.
They report that according to a recent study (PDF) conducted by ChangeWave Research, Apple has by far the highest level of customer satisfaction among computer-buying consumers. One always needs to regard these newsletter as a little suss but all evidence points to the fact that in this case it was correct.
The study, which focused ‘primarily on the U.S. market’ (two Poms were included to give it class) interviewed 3,115 consumers between February 2 and 9. Among consumers who purchased a desktop or laptop in the past 90 days, 81 percent of Mac buyers reported that they were ‘very satisfied’ with their purchase.
The manufacturer with the next-highest ranking, ASUS, achieved a 67 percent ‘very satisfied’ rating. This will come as no surprise to computer journalists who always recommend Macs so that no one phones them up with their problems.
The news wasn’t as good for Dell and HP, which scored 55 and 52 percent, respectively. Lenovo ranked worst, with a mere 50 percent of its recent purchasers calling themselves ‘very satisfied.’ Those are disgusting figures. What other industry would put up with them. Try it on Durex and see where it gets you.
Satisfaction is, of course, a highly subjective concept so not too much should be made of these surveys especially as Apple owners like to big note that they are at the cutting edge.
But, Apple’s 81% satisfaction rating makes Lenovo positively sick. Which is why is has closed up shop overseas and gone back to China.
In addition to its customer-satisfaction rankings, the study also looked at recent and planned personal-computer purchases. And here the news was not good for any manufacturer.
Planned personal-computer purchases by individuals have shrunk to ‘the lowest level ever recorded in a ChangeWave survey.’ Which means the thought that the Netbook will give the Macintosh a thorough fright is not just fancy. Figures in the United States of those intending to buy a laptop have dropped dramatically.
The study cited Netbooks as being ‘one of the few beneficiaries of this tough spending environment.’
This category which is not one where Apple is represented saw a a serious drop in plan-to-buy growth.
Apple may be leading in overall customer satisfaction, but it isn’t satisfying its fans who are shopping for an affordable ultra-portable.
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February 22nd, 2009
Apple is pulling in a good chunk of its change from overseas markets.