Grade: A (average score: 4.5, median score 5, last year: 4.5)
In 2020 this category reached an all time high after several years in the doldrums, and this year maintained the same score. Apple silicon Macs received a lot of praise, of course, and more generally people noted the absence of any big hardware-related scandals.
Brent Simmons said, “I continue to be happy that those awful, erratic keyboards are gone.”
Marco Arment said, “The new Apple-silicon Macs seem even more reliable than their outgoing Intel predecessors, and there seem to be no widespread hardware issues with any modern iPhones, iPads, or Apple Watches.”
James Thomson said, “Nothing stands out, with the exception of AirPod Pro failures. Pretty solid.”
Allison Sheridan said, “While my Macs, iPads and iPhones continue to be rock solid, the AirPods continue to be unreliable. Three sets of OG AirPods in a row will suddenly report that one pod is dead, and yet putting it back in the case and taking it back out often changes it to reporting 100% charge.”
Dan Moren said, “With the exception of having my AirPods Pro encounter the dread scratchy/crackling problem, most of my Apple hardware has been remarkably stable.”
Adam Engst said, “The butterfly keyboard remains dead.”
David Sparks said, “No ‘gates’ in 2021. Hooray!”
Gabe Weatherhead said, “To me, AppleCare is a big part of the hardware reliability. The hardware rarely fails but when it does I can be pretty confident that it’s not the end of life because I have AppleCare. Oh, and the new keyboards are nice.”
Rob Griffiths said, “We’ve not had any major hardware issues with any Apple items in the last year. One minor exception was an AirPod that stopped working, but it was replaced under warranty.”
Josh Centers said, “Apple hardware is quite solid. My biggest complaint is battery lifespan. I’ve only had my Apple Watch Series 4 for a couple of years and the battery is worn out.”
Alex Cox said, “I forgot what it was like to live in a world where I don’t carry around a second keyboard in case a speck of dust got into my MacBook Pro.”
John Siracusa said, “Apple has addressed its most egregious hardware reliability problems in the past few years. We’re left with the baseline level of small issues, most of which can be adequately addressed by AppleCare+. Can Apple hardware be even more reliable? Certainly. Look at the advances in manufacturing consistency and product reliability made by the automobile industry over the past several decades. But in 2021, Apple is at least back to a level of hardware reliability that its customers can mostly live with.”