Lenovo PCs Take Top Spot In Reliability Report

David Milman, CEO of Rescuecom, told CRN that the report, published quarterly, takes both hardware dependability and client-requested support levels into consideration when gauging reliability. “We define ‘reliability’ based on the actual reliability of the equipment, and then the after-the-fact support that’s needed,” Milman said.

“After-the-fact” support, according to Milman, refers to calls made to a third-party PC support or repair organization after unsuccessfully trying to contact the PC provider directly. The number of calls received is then analyzed within the market share of each brand.

The report, released Monday, also showed Toshiba -- the only other organization to move up in the list since last quarter -- trailing Lenovo as second most reliable, while Apple ranked at third and HP held fourth. Sony tied with Asus -- the Q1 runner-up -- for the fifth position.

Rescuecom’s report directly follows Lenovo’s rise to the number two spot for worldwide PC shipments after shipping approximately 12.6 million units in Q3 of 2011, according to research from IDC. Milman attributes much of Lenovo’s success to the brand loyalty they have displayed over the years. “Lenovo has always done well in the Rescuecom reliability reports,” Milman told CRN. “When they bought IBM, the same business processes stayed in place.”

One solution provider executive, who wished to remain anonymous because he partners with HP and other competing computer manufacturers, told CRN that Lenovo’s success over the past few years is no surprise, as the PC-maker has proven to be “the best out there.”

“In our market place -- we sell mainly to mid- and large-size companies -- we’ve found Lenovo competes very well,” the partner said. “That’s because their machines are just better than anybody else’s. They have a lot of traction in the space.”

Lenovo’s willingness to “go after competitive accounts” has also fueled their success, the source told CRN.

Dell -- the former number two worldwide PC provider prior to Lenovo’s rise last week -- was not among the top 5 most reliable brands called out in Rescuecom’s Q2 report. Milman speculated that this could be a result of Dell’s support strategy being predominantly geared toward larger enterprises, rather than individual users.