Ron Schenone

Computer Reliability Statistics – How Reliable Are They?

Posted by on Feb 23, 2010 | 7 Comments

Computer Reliability Statistics – How Reliable Are They? You Decide.

Last week I wrote two articles about how Computerworld had been the victim of fraudulent information, provided by one of their contributors, whom they subsequently terminated. Today I was reading an article about computer reliability in which the author was questioning the methodology and data that previously has been reported by Rescuecom Corporation, in which they had stated that these brands were reliable according to their data:

  1. Apple (AAPL)
  2. Asus (AKCIF)
  3. IBM/Lenovo (LNVGY)
  4. Toshiba (TOSBF)
  5. HP/Compaq (HPQ)

I found this interesting because I had previously reported this data in an article I wrote. Which brings me to question just how accurate any data about reliability really is?

In the article it states the following information:

So what’s the problem? The results are meaningless, given the methodology. According to Rescuecom president Josh Kaplan, the company looked at a sample of 69,900 support calls it received from its clients in 2009. It then looked at the machine that was the subject of the calls, and compared the percentage breakout to the U.S. personal computer market share data (percentage share of computers shipped) from market researcher IDC. However, there are a few major problems:

  • The company doesn’t have support contracts with users. They simply provide support for people who call.
  • Rescuecom assumes that the calls come in a breakdown proportionate to the computer-buying public as a whole.
  • Rescuecom compares its numbers to market share numbers for people who bought computers in the country last year.
  • They assume that every call for support indicates a problem with the computer, even if the software and hardware are functioning as designed and a user misunderstood how to do something.

It’s not that the Rescuecom people are trying to pull one over on the public. I think they’re sincere. Unfortunately, misunderstandings of statistics are as rampant in the high tech industry as they are anywhere, and journalists should get a lot smarter about what they read in press releases.

So who should we trust when it comes to accurate data about computer reliability? I recently received the 2010 buying guide from Consumer Reports. The report basically supports the findings of Rescuecom. But just how reliable is this data from Consumer Reports?

So my question for you is this. Who do you trust to provide accurate data on the reliability of computers?

Let us know what you think.

Comments welcome.

Source

  • Dick

    I’ve been building my own machines since forever ago and I haven’t seen a change in reliability either up or down. I bought a jumbo tower that will hold anything and since then I’ve changed every single component at least once, some components 3 or 4 times (CD/DVD Burners). Motherboard/CPU/RAM changes have usually been to update. My wife thinks it’s a cause for celebration if I put the case covers on once a year. But you know what? Putting on the case covers ALWAYS triggers some need to be in the case. Why bother?

  • Buffet

    The most relaible computer is, in my opinion, a custom built one, rather than some generic, price inflated, name brand crappola.

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  • Patrick

    I actually worked with reliability math and statistics in the early 1990s. Reliability can be measured a lot of different ways. The one most people have heard of is Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF). One can test failure rates of computers in a relatively short period by running a group of test computers at a high temperature to failure, and using Arrhenius’s Law to convert the failure rate back to normal temperatures. Then you have to look at what failed on the test computers. Of course, the test computers are likely to be hosed by running at high temperatures…so this is an expensive kind of test. You can do the same thing for parts of a computer (like just the CPU or just the battery), of course.

  • Joey Buckles

    I have worked in retail for 14 years selling and repairing computers (all PC’s). Spent a couple years as a tech at a local college (servicing both MAC and PC’s). And the last couple years I own and operate a computer repair shop, also building custom PC’s.
    I too have been looking for a reliable statistic on service and repair, and there doesn’t seem to be one. In my years of experience I have been able to see a pattern in service problems and know what systems to avoid. It would seem that the only way to accurately determine reliability someone would need to set up an online database and register service centers nationwide to enter basic info about the repairs. All we really need to know is the Manufacturer, and if the service was for Hardware failure, Software failure, or User error. I don’t think we can rely on info from Manufacturers, as they can be easily designed to favor their systems. We can’t rely on most Magazines for the same reason. So we need to go to the techs and independent service centers.

    • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

      Thanks Joey – great advice.