Study Shows High Failure Rate of Laptops in First Year

A recent study* has found that 15% of notebook computers will have some sort of operational malfunction in the first 12 months, but it’s not the manufacturers who are at fault – it’s us!

According to recent research** sponsored by Panasonic, the leading cause of this notebook damage is dropping (46%), followed by water spillage (24%). In fact the seven key contributors to laptop damage all involve some type of avoidable human error.

While users can sometimes reduce the risk of notebook failure by avoiding the common causes of damage, this is not always practical or possible. When you and your laptop are stuck somewhere like on an aircraft your only choice is to ride out the bumps and hope for the best, but shock impact like this incurred during turbulence actually contributes to 19% of all notebook damage.

Research shows of all the possible components it is the hard disk that is most commonly at risk when a notebook computer is damaged. The hard disk is where all the data is stored, so if it goes down so too do all your files.

Repairing such a fault and salvaging lost data can often involve considerable expense for businesses. It is estimated that the average cost of a notebook breakdown for a company or individual, including repairs, lost productivity, loan units and customer dissatisfaction, has been put at over $3,000 per incident.

In an effort to reduce these unnecessary costs, industrial designers and computer programmers have collaborated to create portable and hardwearing computing devices. This new era of mobile computing is also recognition of the increased functionality and portability that consumers are requiring of their notebooks, particularly in the workplace.

Panasonic have developed the Toughbook range of notebook computers – fully and semi ruggedised devices designed to work in almost any environment with superior resistance to bumps, knocks, drops and drips.

These features reflect a growing trend in notebook design as more manufacturers realise that just as you occasionally get caught in the rain or have coffee spilt on you, so too does your laptop. Toughbook models feature sturdy magnesium casing and are proven to be water resistant, even by stringent military standards.

Find out more about the full range of shock, drop and water resistant features available at www.toughbook.panasonic.co.nz.