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Computer support agency Rescuecom studied the call data from its centres and cross referenced it against the market share of brands in different US locations.

The results on a weighted index showed Lenovo the winner at +243, Apple at +201 then HP at +12, Dell at +4 and Gateway at -12.

'When people purchase computers they want to know about reliability,' said David A. Milman, founder of Rescuecom.

'Whether it's due to hardware quality or vendor customer support, clearly Lenovo and Apple are well ahead of their rivals.'

None-branded hardware scored lowest in the study with just -16.

Gartner's last estimate of US computer market share for the second quarter of 2006 puts Dell at 30.7 per cent, HP at 17.9 per cent with Apple and Lenovo at around four per cent apiece.