There has been some disquiet recently in the Apple consumer ranks over the quality issues with the early version of the new Intel Powerbooks (oops MacBookPro), iBooks (MacBook), a common problem when you make such a large move between technologies. In fact the failure rate is no different from other laptops, the difference being that Apple has a far higher visibility that other computer vendors.

Take this retoric for example:

THEY are the must-have gadgets for thousands of music-loving Londoners. But there is increasing evidence that the iPod could go the way of the Betamax video and the MiniDisc.

Apple left fearing the iPod backlash.

Aside from the ridiculous comparison with unsuccessful consumer products, this level of rhetoric is obviously overblown as journalist are looking for (creating?) the next big story. It is true that Apple is the hottest thing in the consumer computing space and that consumers have for many years only uninspired products like Dell Computers with Windows Media Center to look forward to at Best Buy or PC World. This has changed demonstrably with the arrival of truly clever products with equally clever retail experiences that Apple offers. Indeed, you only need to (attempt) to go to your local Apple Store on Saturday morning to see the obvious love affair that people have with Apple.

Leander Kahney, the resident MacBloke on Wired Magazine put it this way.

But, in fact, there’s no consumer backlash at all. Apple’s firing on all cylinders, and is selling more Macs and iPods than ever.

Look at the numbers: Apple is enjoying about 20 percent year-on-year growth in Macs and about 200 percent growth in iPods. The quarter that ended April 1 was the second biggest quarter in Apple’s history, and continued blockbuster sales of both Macs and iPods are predicted.

Apple’s disproportionate coverage in the media is not only because of the extremely competent marketing people that Apple has, but also because it is a story that captures the consumer imagination. The reason for this is quite simple. People (like me) don’t buy Car Magazines like Road and Track, Motor Trends, Car etc because they want to read reviews about the latest Toyota Corolla or Ford Winstar, they buy it to read about cars they want like BMW or Aston Martin. The same too for Apple, it is an aspirational product for many (although that is changing as prices come down) and it’s dominance in the computer media is due to it’s aspirational qualities and indeed it is the story.

As for the perceived failures of Apple products, according to Gartner, Apple is no worst that any other vendor:

…..found that notebook AFRs (Average Failure Rates) still range from 15 to 20 per cent throughout the life of the system. Three years ago, notebook AFRs averaged 20 per cent in the first year, climbing to 28 per cent in the third year. In contrast, Gartner says today’s desktop AFRs are down to 5 per cent in year 1 with an anticipated 12 percent in the fourth year.

PC Failures Down As Dell Laptop Blows Up

Apple has had no more serious problems with portable products that any other vendor has including the current Dell woes explode. To be fair to Dell, this looks a lot like a battery problem, not a Mission Impossible CD in the CD Tray.

Apple continues to benefit from a mixture of stylish consumer friendly products, a great retail experience, both online and offline, and a tremendous cache of loyal users.

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