02.Desktops
There’s a trend to laptops, but we’re still buying desktops:
- 60% of desktop users have bought a machine in the last two years, up on the 50% in the last survey.
- More than 40% of users bought their desktops from just three manufacturers (Dell 17%, Apple 15% and HP/Compaq 10%).
- Nearly half bought unbranded, custom-built or lesser-known brands, leaving just 13% for the next 10 name brands.
Reliability
A quarter of all users reported having problems in the last 12 months, with most brands except Apple (8%) close to the average. The main suspect was the internal hard drive, which affected 6% of users.
Just over 84% of machines needed no repairs in the past year, with Apple standing out from the pack with a result of 97%.
Overall, this is better than the last survey when the average was 75%. The biggest improvers are ASUS and the no-name brands.
Customer loyalty
Across the range, brand loyalty was generally around 90%, except for Apple, who rated a distinguished 99%, and Acer, trailing the field with 80%, a drop from 87% in the last survey. The minor brands have picked up a few points, from 85% to 89%, but the leading brands have stayed about the same.
