To turn anecdotes into data, you need good answers to these two questions:
- Are the samples very similar? (ie, same models, same usage patterns)
- Do they vary in a predictable way from a control group?
The only things which are the same between the samples are the owner, and the brand. We don't know any specifics about internal product testing and development, so it is a stretch to say that those details are the same across all samples.
The control group is non-existent: it is assumed to be a group of computers identical in every way to those being tested, except they never fail. That is: the control group is imagined to be just what is needed to prove the desired conclusions.
Having said all that, I have had repair-under-warranty problems with all the Macs that I have owned too.
"The ACSI scores measure a consumer's overall satisfaction with a company, which includes product quality, value, customer service, and essentially anything else that impresses or annoys a customer of a particular company. Apple scored an 85 on the index, its highest score ever and a full ten points higher than second place finisher Dell."
But he said he has enough anecdotes that it feels statistical to him.
But he said he has enough anecdotes that it feels statistical to him.
In my family, we have had 5 macs. An iBook G3, a Macbook Pro, two Macbooks, and an old Powerbook 170 from 1991. All of them are still in perfect working order, and have only ever broken as a result of physical damage (drops, spills, etc.) The Powerbook 170 was used as a word processor for about 15 years, and still remains in working order.
I have had nothing but positive experiences with Macs, but I need to emphasize that my experiences are not data. They are anecdotes, and thus can't prove anything one way or the other.