Microsoft Laptops Lose Consumer Reports’ Recommendation
Microsoft Surface laptops and tablets are having their “recommended” status stripped away by Consumer Reports, a highly-regarded product review organization.
Four Microsoft Surface-branded laptops lost the organization’s approval after new studies by the Consumer Reports National Research Center found the devices have a poor predicted reliability. An estimated 25 per cent of owners will experience problems with the devices after only two years.
This breakage rate is significantly higher than most brands and as such Consumer Reports stated they can’t recommend any Microsoft laptops or tablets to buyers. However, Microsoft rebutted the findings, citing the company’s real-world return and support rates “differ significantly” from the review organization.
“We don’t believe these findings accurately reflect Surface owners’ true experiences or capture the performance and reliability improvements made with every Surface generation,” wrote Microsoft in an emailed statement to Consumer Reports.
The problems don’t lay in the devices’ Windows 10 software but rather the physical hardware. Through the annual study, Consumer Reports found a number of Microsoft product owners experienced problems during startup, whereas others reported unexpected shutdowns, freezing devices, and unresponsive touch screens.
The non-profit organization surveyed more than 90,000 Microsoft laptop and tablet owners who bought new devices between 2014 and 2017.
