An American study has just questioned the reliability of laptops. According to the insurance company SquareTrade, which analyzed the files of 30,000 of its customers, one out of three laptops break down during the first three years after the purchase . Asus is the champion of reliability, ahead of Toshiba and Sony . Another lesson is that small netbooks are more fragile than models laptop type .

The results of this report indicate that 31% of the 30,000 customers studied reported a breakdown of their laptop during the three years following the purchase . Two-thirds of these breakdowns are related to a material malfunction, and one-third are the result of external damage : fall, spilled liquid, etc.

According to SquareTrade, mini-notebooks (or "netbooks"), bought at less than $ 400, are more prone to breakdown than standard widescreen models. According to the insurer, 5.8% of netbooks suffer a failure within 12 months of purchase . 20% higher than entry-level laptops, and 40% higher than top-of-the-range laptops with prices over $ 1,000.

A three-year projection revealed that 25.1% of netbooks should break down in the three years after purchase , compared with 20.6% for entry-level notebooks and 18.1% for PCs high-end laptops .

As for the brands, the study finally indicates that Asus computers are the most reliable on the market , with a breakdown rate of less than 10% in the first two years, and 15.6% after the third year . The figures are about the same for Toshiba models, second in the ranking. Apple (17.4%), Dell (18.3%), Lenovo (21.5%), Acer (23.3%) and Gateway (23 , 5%). Hewlett-Packard, the world's largest computer vendor, has a default rate of about 16% within two years and 25.6% within three years.

This study was conducted with more than 30,000 newly purchased laptops.