Laptop reliability APPLE CORE
in the fact that MacBooks appear to be more resilient to failure. Why is this? What makes MacBooks that much more reliable than other laptops? McQueen stated that Consumer Reports did not ask about the type of failures encountered by respondents. “We don’t know if these failures pertain to hardware or software”, he insisted, “or any particular parts or systems”. This muddies the waters somewhat. Did MacBooks fail less because OS X is less prone to ‘catastrophic’ errors, or because the hardware used in them is sturdier? Really, it’s a blend of the two. One major factor is likely to be malware. While it would be foolish to maintain the old stance that Macs don’t get viruses, the much smaller market share occupied by them compared to Windows PCs makes them a much less attractive target to would-be hackers and other digital malcontents. That somewhat unfairly sidelines Macs themselves. OS X is consistently rock solid throughout years of iteration, while Apple’s innovative component design utilises fewer parts than previous MacBooks, meaning there are fewer points of failure. Apple picks hardware components that it knows will last, so while that Windows laptop may be a lot cheaper than a MacBook, it may cop out in
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Consumer Reports’ survey revealed an astonishing low failure rate of 7% for the MacBook Air.
MacBooks are far more resilient in their first year
next to no time. This is one instance where you really do get what you pay for. Consumer Reports also noted MacBooks are more expensive than their PC equivalents to repair, so it recommended Apple buyers invest in AppleCare when buying a MacBook. But when you consider the dramatically lower failure rates of MacBooks, that higher repair cost may not be such an issue. A PC may be cheaper to fix once, but if it breaks twice – or three times or more – then that cost saving quickly evaporates. A larger initial outlay repays itself in lower maintenance costs. This is something backed up by the survey, which found that Windows laptops tended to need multiple repairs far more than MacBooks. Among those MacBooks that did break down, 42% did so more than once; however, that figure stands at 55% for laptops from other brands. This all puts MacBooks in a very good position. They break down less than PC laptops and are far more resilient in the first year after purchase. While they may be more expensive to repair, the lower failure rate means they last longer, meaning the cost differential is less pronounced than it may at first appear. So, you can go on loving your MacBook for longer because it just works.
february 2016 | MACFORMAT | 15