Alright - as to my credentials, 5 years in a Technical Support role at the University of California, Davis.
That said, there are ONLY two laptop manufacturers that I like or would trust. Number one is Dell, number two, unsurprisingly, is Apple. Here's why:
Apple is a great user-friendly item. If you just want the internet, word processing, music, (some) games, email, and photo manipulation, Apple is very hard to be beat. Some people ask me, "Brian, why do you own a Macbook at home? Isn't a Dell better?" Let me tell you that when I come home from a long hard day of fixing computers, the last thing I want to do is sit down and fix computers. I want the power button to work, I want the browser to fire up, and I want it to do its own thing and let me vegitate. That said, these are by no means bulletproof. And if the **** hits the fan with them, you're going to have a lot of out-of-pocket expense. That is, unless you purchase AppleCare (3 years is $349 I believe). Their customer service is top-notch, but without AppleCare, you're going to pay through the nose for repairs.
The other manufacturer I would trust is Dell. Dell computers, while not necessarily the most option-packed and reliable computers, are good for a computer user that requires Windows for certain software (such as AutoCAD and some games), wants something less expensive, and will often leave it around with little regard to the computer's safety (putting it near open glasses that could topple, leaving it on the ground, etc). Dell's repair costs are significantly cheaper, and can often be replaced by good used parts or parts purchased from online warehouse sites like newegg.com. I have heard conflicting things about their customer support. I deal with them on average once a week, and I never have had problems. However, I work with the Higher Education Customer Support Department, so I might have a significantly easier time dealing with issues. From what I hear about personal customer support, they patch you to India pretty quickly. But the other good thing is there's a lot of documentation online, as well as an online live support chat, so you don't even have to speak to someone on the phone. So then you're probably wondering why I don't own a Dell at home; why do I own a Mac? Dells, Windows, and PCs in general require a lot more attention. Have to make sure the registry's not effed up, have to make sure your virus scan is up-to-date. This isn't to say the Mac never gets viruses, it can, but it requires a lot less attention in general.
I once was told by a previous supervisor, "If you want to blog, get a Mac. If you want to work, get a PC." And at work, I have a Dell PC. And it does what I want, when I want. But again, it requires a bit more attention.
Now you're probably wondering about the other manufacturers - HP, Gateway, Compaq, Lenovo. All garbage. Well, not in the hardware sense, but still. Since Microsoft and Dell are like two peas in a pod, Microsoft tailors their updates to Dell systems. They make sure it works with Dell drivers and Dell hardware. For other manufacturers, it's a gamble. Recently, a single Windows Update, which I've narrowed down to the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Service Pack 3 (KB955706), caused a customer's entire laptop (Lenovo) to never fully start Windows up. It would go into a blue screen and restart itself, starting the cycle over. For what it's worth, the same update came to one of my Dells that I administrate, and there was no issue.
So in summary, I only trust Apple or Dell. I use both, for entirely different purposes, but they are both really good machines. No matter which way you go, however, my advice is to BUY A GOOD WARRANTY! You'll thank me in two years when you're getting your video card or memory or hard drive replaced for free. Hope this helps.
