SquareTrade Report on Laptop Failures Levels Shopping Field

Thanks to SquareTrade's new report that states nearly a third of laptops fail in first three years, Christmas shopper's have a better idea of what they are buying. At a time when most computer shoppers are swearing that they will no longer buy (insert brand name here) because of a bad personal experience, the SquareTrade report both helps to concrete those feelings and advise what brand to buy.

As it turns out, you really do get what you pay for. Premium laptops have a low failure rate of only 18.1%. While that does seem like a high failure rate, it is quickly put into perspective with the knowledge that entry level laptops are at 20.6% and netbooks are even worse at 25.1%. However, while netbooks do fail 20% more than an entry level laptops, there is not enough data to accurately conclude the three year failure rate.

Out of this report comes hard feelings for previous Hp customers like me. Hp is ranked last in laptop reliability. While the exact amount is not stated, the fact that over one-fourth of Hp laptops are expected to fail within three years. That fact makes it perfectly clear that I wasted money by trying to save money by buying the popular brand. Acer and Gateway customers are second in line at the complaints table with a malfunction rate of over 23%. Unfortunately, because of my experience, I suggested my aunt buy a Acer, which she did and regrets.

One of the largest surprises was Apple having a 17.4% fail rate. Perhaps Apple should review the script for their 'Mac versus PC' commercial. After all, while Apple is moderately reliable, it is still the PC that has a lower laptop failure rate.

So maybe the key to buying a durable laptop is to purchase the most expensive, less popular laptops. Asus and Toshiba fair far better at a failure rate of only 15.6% and 15.7% respectively. In simpler terms, Asus and Toshiba were 40% more likely to outlast HP. For anyone looking to invest in a laptop or buying one for Christmas, that fact will most decidedly be a deal breaker.

The conclusion of SquareTrade's report on the failure rate of laptops and netbooks is that the brand name should be number one factor in choosing a new laptop. The second factor, according to the report, is the cost. Premium laptops, those that cost over one thousand dollars, survived better than the cheaper models.

Personally, I wish that this report came out long ago. Not only did me and my aunt lose money, we both lost important data. So what if the data wasn't life threatening. It was still our digital life that temporarily died.

The full SquareTrade report on laptop failures can be found here.