4 ms·

Can we stop screwing around with anecdotes and cite some sort of study? In my family, we have had 5 macs. An iBook G3, a Macbook Pro, two Macbooks, and an old

by sdurkin 18y ago

Can we stop screwing around with anecdotes and cite some sort of study? In my family, we have had 5 macs. An iBook G3, a Macbook Pro, two Macbooks, and an old Powerbook 170 from 1991. All of them are still in perfect working order, and have only ever broken as a result of physical damage (drops, spills, etc.) The Powerbook 170 was used as a word processor for about 15 years, and still remains in working order. I have had nothing but positive experiences with Macs, but I need to emphasize that my experiences are not data. They are anecdotes, and thus can't prove anything one way or the other.

qqq 18y ago
> Can we stop screwing around with anecdotes and cite some sort of study? But he said he has enough anecdotes that it feels statistical to him.
- fallentimes 18y ago
  Haha yes. And in 37signals land, they're somehow still a startup, you only have to work 32 hours per week to be successful, multiple anecdotes = data, and feelings trump reality.
  - petercooper 18y ago
    Feelings are reality for most people. If this were not true, religion, depression, stock market crashes and mental illness would not exist and we'd be living in a utopia.
    - fallentimes 18y ago
      Right, but that's sort of a strawman. I was mainly referring to this: But he said he has enough anecdotes that it feels statistical to him.
    - bk 18y ago
      I voted you back up (to 1) because your comment is more insightful than then snarky 37signals bashing above.
goodkarma 18y ago
In the past 3 1/2 years (since I started buying Apple products), I've had a 60% defect rate by computer (5 computers - though each defective computer had multiple issues), and a 66% defect rate for other products (iPod 3G, iPhone 1G, Time Capsule)
DougBTX 18y ago
Yep, you're right. To turn anecdotes into data, you need good answers to these two questions: - Are the samples very similar? (ie, same models, same usage patterns) - Do they vary in a predictable way from a control group? The only things which are the same between the samples are the owner, and the brand. We don't know any specifics about internal product testing and development, so it is a stretch to say that those details are the same across all samples. The control group is non-existent: it is assumed to be a group of computers identical in every way to those being tested, except they never fail. That is: the control group is imagined to be just what is needed to prove the desired conclusions. Having said all that, I have had repair-under-warranty problems with all the Macs that I have owned too.
fabjan 18y ago
There are surveys for these kind of things http://www.theacsi.org/ http://www.theacsi.org/ seems to not work, but you can read http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10019711-37.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10019711-37.html for example. "The ACSI scores measure a consumer's overall satisfaction with a company, which includes product quality, value, customer service, and essentially anything else that impresses or annoys a customer of a particular company. Apple scored an 85 on the index, its highest score ever and a full ten points higher than second place finisher Dell."

by sdurkin 18y ago

qqq 18y ago

> Can we stop screwing around with anecdotes and cite some sort of study? But he said he has enough anecdotes that it feels statistical to him.

fallentimes 18y ago
Haha yes. And in 37signals land, they're somehow still a startup, you only have to work 32 hours per week to be successful, multiple anecdotes = data, and feelings trump reality.
- petercooper 18y ago
  Feelings are reality for most people. If this were not true, religion, depression, stock market crashes and mental illness would not exist and we'd be living in a utopia.
  - fallentimes 18y ago
    Right, but that's sort of a strawman. I was mainly referring to this: But he said he has enough anecdotes that it feels statistical to him.
  - bk 18y ago
    I voted you back up (to 1) because your comment is more insightful than then snarky 37signals bashing above.

goodkarma 18y ago

In the past 3 1/2 years (since I started buying Apple products), I've had a 60% defect rate by computer (5 computers - though each defective computer had multiple issues), and a 66% defect rate for other products (iPod 3G, iPhone 1G, Time Capsule)

DougBTX 18y ago

Yep, you're right. To turn anecdotes into data, you need good answers to these two questions: - Are the samples very similar? (ie, same models, same usage patterns) - Do they vary in a predictable way from a control group? The only things which are the same between the samples are the owner, and the brand. We don't know any specifics about internal product testing and development, so it is a stretch to say that those details are the same across all samples. The control group is non-existent: it is assumed to be a group of computers identical in every way to those being tested, except they never fail. That is: the control group is imagined to be just what is needed to prove the desired conclusions. Having said all that, I have had repair-under-warranty problems with all the Macs that I have owned too.

fabjan 18y ago

There are surveys for these kind of things http://www.theacsi.org/ http://www.theacsi.org/ seems to not work, but you can read http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10019711-37.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10019711-37.html for example. "The ACSI scores measure a consumer's overall satisfaction with a company, which includes product quality, value, customer service, and essentially anything else that impresses or annoys a customer of a particular company. Apple scored an 85 on the index, its highest score ever and a full ten points higher than second place finisher Dell."