Consumers are happier than ever with their electronics purchases, according to a paper published by the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) today. It's reported that satisfaction ratings for computers, appliances and pricey electronics like TVs are at or near all-time highs. For the seventh straight year, Apple outranked other PC makers scoring better than ever at 86 "points" on a 100-point scale, up 2% from last year.
Dell, Acer and HP are Cupertino's nearest Windows-based competitors with 77 points, an increase of 3% to 4% on-year. That increase is attributed to the passing of Windows Vista, which was generally hated by consumers. "Barely a year into the release of Windows 7, satisfaction with these brands has returned to, and in some cases even surpassed, the levels prior to the launch of Vista," said ACSI.
Satisfaction levels for consumer electronics including TVs, DVD and Blu-ray players are up 2.4% at 85 points. That's more than any other ACSI industry, which is largely thanks to decreasing prices the report notes. Whirlpool continues to be the most liked household appliance brand at 83%, while GE trails at 81%, a 5% boost from last year. Electrolux follows at 79%, matching a five-year low.