Laptop Durability and Reliable Wireless Access Important, New Survey Finds

Panasonic Computer Solutions Company, manufacturer of Panasonic Toughbook mobile computers, today announced findings of a new survey commissioned in November and conducted by Harris Interactive to better understand the experiences and needs of U.S. laptop users.According to the online survey of more than 2,300 adults, 70 percent of U.S. adult laptop users strongly agreed that they wouldn't feel comfortable storing their laptop in an overhead bin while traveling on an airplane because of fear that it might become damaged.

Participants were also asked about how often they use their laptop outside a traditional office environment, causes of laptop damage and repair history, and preferred laptop features, including their experiences with wireless offerings and battery life.

Here are some of the key findings:
* Reliable wireless access to the Internet through their laptop is viewed as "Absolutely Essential/Very Important" by 75 percent of employed laptop owners with wireless capabilities.
* Among adults who regularly use a laptop computer, 47% use their laptop outside of a typical office environment on a daily basis.
* 25% regularly (i.e., 3 days a week or more) use a laptop while traveling or somewhere else outside their home or work.
* Among laptop users, 68 percent reported the type of damage their laptop is most at risk for when traveling is being dropped, knocking against a hard surface or getting crushed under the weight of other objects, and 39 percent reported experiencing some form of mishap (drop, knock, and spill) with their laptop.
* 89 percent of laptop users surveyed cited long battery life (i.e., greater than 3 hours) is "Absolutely Essential/Very Important/Important," yet, 70 percent said the longest amount of battery life they typically experience is three hours or less.

"Findings reflect that many people are working outside traditional office environments and they have high expectations for certain performance metrics that have not fully been met," said Marca Armstrong, director of marketing, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company. "Based on this data and our experience manufacturing durable notebooks for more than fifteen years, durability and wireless connectivity are now among the must-have needs of professionals."

These findings are in line with research conducted in 2005 by IDC, which showed that dropping while carrying was the number one cause of accidental notebook damage. Liquid spills and falls from a table or desk rounded out the top three mishaps leading to accidental damage.