Best & Worst Laptop Brands 2011: How We Tested

A number of factors play into buying a notebook. And various brands do a better job in different categories. To evaluate each company, we used the following criteria to reach a total possible score of 100.

Reviews (25 Points Possible)

Reviews are worth ¼ of the total grade. Our thorough laptop reviews from the last 12 months measure performance and weigh that against a system’s price and other qualities. Each notebook’s star rating plays into a brand’s score, as does the percentage of Editors’ Choice Awards earned.

Design (15 Points Possible)

Also high on our list is the quality of notebook design. We evaluated each company based on the overall aesthetics, taking into account all of the models. Offering sleek lines, color options, and high-quality construction materials helped some, while churning out boring and dated-looking systems hurt others.

Keyboard and Touchpad (15 Points Possible)

Because how you interact with a machine is critical to the user experience, this category carries plenty of weight. A notebook maker must offer comfort and usability in its keyboards and touchpads to earn a high score.

Technical Support (15 Points Possible)

A brand is also only as good as the technical support it offers. For this reason, each brand’s performance on our annual tech support showdown is worth up to 15 points.

Value and Selection (10 Points Possible)

It’s not just about how well a company’s prices stack up against the competition. How many systems were released in the last year? Are those laptops widely available on-line and in brick-and-mortar stores? Are those notebooks configurable directly from the manufacturer? All of these factors figure into a brand’s value and selection score.

Software (10 Points Possible)

When it comes to software, we look at the usefulness of the pre-loaded and branded utilities available for each of the top 10 brands. Are those bundled tools useful or stuff you will just want to un-install?

Innovation (5 Points Possible)

Innovation means everything from being the first to integrate exciting new technologies to dreaming up entirely new ways to enhance the computing experience.

Customer Satisfaction & Reliability (5 Points Possible)

If the customers do not like it, do not purchase it. For 5 points, we take into account our own readers’ comments, as well as the scores from the 2011 Computer Reliability Report and the rating from the Better Business Bureau.

source : www.laptopmag.com

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Submited at Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011 at 6:00 am on Uncategorized by Gillan
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