Sony vs Apple – A Customer Experience Showdown (Part 1)

| by Tim Sanchez | Customer Experience, Featured, Technology | Share

To say that I rely heavily on my notebook is a gross understatement. It is my only computer and I am routinely on it 12 or more hours per day. When my Sony Vaio Z finally starting dying on me after 2-1/2 years of heavy use, I knew I needed to get another one fast. At the time, Sony had just released a new version of the Z that was scheduled to start shipping in 3 weeks. Brand new Intel chip, dual SSD’s, built-in GPS, and Windows 7. I’m pretty much a geek when it comes to this stuff, so I was bubbling over with anticipation of my new rig.

Unfortunately, three weeks was a little too long for my aging companion. It was when the fan suddenly died (due to a motherboard issue) that I knew I needed a new notebook now.

The Contenders

So off I went to purchase a brand new notebook. Luckily, there’s a Sony Style store close to me in the Houston Galleria. I knew they wouldn’t have what I wanted, since the new model wasn’t available yet, but I was hoping they could work something out for me. After all, I was a loyal, repeat customer that was ready to plunk down a lot of money. That must be worth something, right?

Of course, in the back of my head, I knew there was an Apple store in the same mall. If all else failed, I could waltz right in and pick up a MacBook Pro, which I was also familiar with. I spent three years in college with a PowerBook G4 that was running Mac OS X and I grew up on Apple computers, so it wouldn’t be quite the shock for me to switch back from Windows.

The Showdown Begins

When I arrived at the mall, I decided to run a little contest. I made a decision that whichever company treated me better, that is, whichever one created the best experience would win my purchasing decision.

I decided to head towards the Apple store first. I had some questions regarding Windows interoperability and a couple pieces of software I might need. Apple has consistently ranked higher than their PC counterparts in recent customer experience rankings, so I was eager to put them to the test and see if my experience mirrored those results.

Click here for Part 2.