1st Place: Apple
The undisputed king of laptop brands for six years and counting, Apple retains the No. 1 spot in this year’s survey. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company won 5 out of the 9 categories, including a perfect score for its laptop reviews. Its tech support score is also stellar, and the brand's keyboards and touchpads, audio quality and preloaded software can't be beat.
Reviews (20/20)
Not surprisingly, Apple remained in the top spot in the reviews category. Although the company sells relatively few laptops -- we reviewed just three last year -- all are excellent. Two of them, the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air, earned Editors' Choice awards. The 13-inch Air remains one of the best notebooks overall.
Tech Support (19/20)
The proof is also in the support provided, and Apple is simply at the top of its game when it comes to helping customers. The company's representatives were quick, friendly and accurate via online chat and phone. Apple.com is well organized and helpful. The only thing holding Apple back from a perfect score is the lack of social networking assistance.
Display (7/10)
Apple's screens are some of the brightest in the business, at an impressive 306 nits. Otherwise, the panels are of mixed quality. The MacBook Air has a modest resolution and decidedly subpar color accuracy and limited gamut, but still provides a good media-viewing experience. The Retina displays on the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro, on the other hand, offer high resolution and significantly better colors, with an 87%
Innovation (3/5)
While Apple hasn't made any major changes to its MacBook hardware of late, the company's latest OS X Yosemite software update gives you new ways to use it. The software's new Continuity features makes your Mac work seamlessly with your iOS devices, meaning you can answer a phone call on your MacBook or start an email on your notebook and finish it on your iPad.
Audio (4/5)
Despite being soft-spoken, Apple's laptops provide solid audio quality. On average, the three notebooks we tested in 2014 measured 81 dB, making Apple’s machines softer than your typical notebook (85 dB). The 11-inch MacBook Pro delivered full and balanced sound, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display produced clear vocals and smooth audio overall.
2nd Place: Dell
The company took first place in the categories of innovation, value and selection, as well as in audio.
3rd Place: HP
HP customers have a huge selection of prices, styles and configurations from which to choose, and once you’ve made a decision, you can trust in the quality of the technical support.
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