Consumer Reports withdrew its recommendation for several Microsoft Surface devices, citing "poor predicted reliability" as the cause for the change of heart.

With the pulled recommendation by Consumer Reports, should Microsoft Surface owners start to panic and sell off their devices?

Consumer Reports Withdraws Microsoft Surface Recommendation

In a post published online, Consumer Reports announced that it has removed the "recommended" designation for several Microsoft Surface devices. Specifically, the decision covers the 128 GB and 512 GB models of the Microsoft Surface Book and the 128 GB and 256 GB models of the Microsoft Surface Laptop.

According to new studies that were conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, 25 percent of the owners of the Microsoft Surface laptops and tablets will experience problems with the devices two years after the date of purchase. This figure is higher compared to most other brands, pushing Consumer Reports to withdraw the previously issued recommendations.

Microsoft, however, has denied Consumer Reports' findings of poor Microsoft Surface reliability, claiming that the results do not accurately reflect the true experience of owners and the real-world performance of the devices.

Don't Panic, Microsoft Surface Fans

With the recommendation of the Microsoft Surface devices withdrawn by Consumer Reports, should owners of the affected laptops and tablets start thinking about replacing them?

According to CNET, another trusted name in product recommendations, that should not be the case. It claims that the data used by Consumer Reports is not the overall return and repair rates of the Microsoft Surface devices, with the 25 percent breakage rate nothing more than an estimate.

While CNET admits that there are some issues with Microsoft Surface devices, such as the random shutdown and hibernation issues previously reported for the new Surface Pro, the devices have proven to be generally reliable in its findings.

Consumer Reports And Apple MacBook Pro

The last major news regarding a Consumer Reports recommendation, which broke out in December last year, involved the 2016 model of Apple's MacBook Pro.

The 2016 MacBook Pro was the first model of the MacBook that did not receive a Consumer Reports recommendation upon its release. The laptop, with top-of-the-line display quality and performance, was said to have problems with its battery life.

Apple worked hard to reverse the decision of Consumer Reports, as the company pinpointed a flaw in the testing method used to gauge the MacBook Pro's battery life. About a month later in January 2017, Apple finally received a recommendation from Consumer Reports for the 2016 MacBook Pro, as the fixed testing method cleared the battery life issues.