Apple usually commands the highest degree of fan loyalty and customer satisfaction. No longer. In a recent survey, Samsung tied Apple for the best computer experience.
According to the ACSI Household Appliance and Electronics Study 2022-2023, Samsung and Apple tied with a top score of 83 out of 100. The survey was based on interviews with 14,069 customers, chosen at random and contacted via email between July 2022 and June 2023.
That’s not to say that most consumers criticized their PC. While Apple and Samsung earned the top marks with a score of 83, the lowest — Lenovo — still generated a satisfaction index of 78 on a scale from 1 to 100.
ACSI also asked consumers whether they favored desktops, laptops, or tablets. Consumer preferences again tended to prefer desktops, and even more strongly than in 2022: desktops earned 84 out of 100, versus laptops with a satisfaction score of 80. Tablets fell behind, to 76.
When asked what mattered most to them in a PC, customers preferred what they could see or hear. The highest ranking, 85, went to design, both in terms of size and visual appeal. Graphics and sound quality tied for third, with the availability of software and applications.
Interestingly, just how fast the PC was mattered less than you might think. Processor speed factored in somewhere of the middle of customer concerns.
The worst part of owning a PC? Dealing with a call center, presumably for help and support. We suppose you can’t argue with that.
Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor, PCWorld
Mark has written for PCWorld for the last decade, with 30 years of experience covering technology. He has authored over 3,500 articles for PCWorld alone, covering PC microprocessors, peripherals, and Microsoft Windows, among other topics. Mark has written for publications including PC Magazine, Byte, eWEEK, Popular Science and Electronic Buyers' News, where he shared a Jesse H. Neal Award for breaking news. He recently handed over a collection of several dozen Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs because his office simply has no more room.