Rating Notebooks

Notebooks are expensive - at least they are costlier than their desktop cousins. Besides, they are not easy to upgrade. So before buying a notebook, you should carefully read the notebook ratings and reviews from various reliable sources.

Such notebook ratings definitely help the prospective buyers a lot in their buying decision by giving them a fair idea about how good the brands they are considering really are on the basis of how the end users of such brands have rated them.

These notebook ratings are usually the result of surveys conducted by computer magazines and journals that methodically interrogate several users of notebooks, gathering and arranging their feedback. The main factor that such notebook ratings try to gauge is the level of customer satisfaction of users of popular brands of notebooks.

The parameters mainly considered in such notebook ratings include appearance, ergonomics, convenience of operation, price, warranty, performance, reliability, customer support, after sales service and some other relevant factors.

In a survey recently conducted among the notebook owners, the consumers were asked to give notebook ratings on various grounds. The survey revealed that among notebook owners, Apple and Emachine users reported the most satisfaction with reliability, while Compaq, Gateway, HP, and Sony got weaker notebook ratings.

The notebook ratings in the survey were a major setback for Sony. About 29 percent of the users reported hardware or software problems with their machines, as opposed to only 16 percent of Apple's notebook users. Sony received low notebook ratings in tech support from the customers. About 23 percent of Sony customers who encountered a problem with their notebooks said that Sony's after sales service was very poor. The average for all notebook vendors on this measure of notebook ratings was 14 percent.

Like their desktop-owning counterparts, many Compaq and HP notebook owners had problems when dealing with service representatives. According to consumers, Compaq takes way too long to resolve notebook related problems.

In terms of customer service IBM comes out with flying colors in the notebook ratings. The IBM notebook owners gave the company high notebook ratings in phone support and service - both in the desktop and laptop category. While the company got mediocre notebook ratings on the grounds of reliability, the customers are absolutely overwhelmed with the support and service.

Now if the notebook vendors take these notebook ratings seriously and improve their service, it will definitely do everybody a world of good.