Does the US military test computer durability?

Asus ExpertBook business laptop series meets military durability standards.

Military-standard durability or MIL-STD is still a term and criterion used by many companies to promote product durability. Devices that pass the above tests are said to have better ability to work in harsh environments. Recently in Vietnam, Asus launched the ExpertBook business laptop line, taking the advantage of durability as a competitive point.

Talking to Tri Thuc - Znews , the company representative revealed that the "US military" durability standard was not tested by the US military. However, they are confident that they are an honest experimental party, with a full list of necessary items. The company itself added the evaluation sections that are close to actual use.

In fact, in the industry, many companies only evaluate a limited number of indicators but do not fully implement them.

What is the US military standard?

MIL-STD-810H is the US Department of Defense ’s comprehensive environmental testing framework, published in 2019 with over 1,000 pages of procedures. Unlike the basic articles, this standard takes a specialized approach, simulating real-world operating conditions rather than simply recreating the environment.

Temperature tests require the device to operate continuously in temperatures of -32-49 degrees Celsius. The device must also be able to operate under multi-directional impact forces of up to 40G. In particular, the vibration test simulates mobile situations, or extreme humidity.

The laptop's ports pass the MIL-STD-810G test.

Responding to Tri Thuc - Znews , Mr. Kenny Chien, Director of Asus Vietnam, corporate customers & projects, said that testing according to military standards such as MIL-STD-810H, which is being applied to the company's ExpertBook lines, is not performed by the US military.

“This is a public, self-listed standard. Manufacturers can choose to apply it or not. The level of application is different for each party,” said Mr. Kenny. MIL-STD-810H includes 28 testing methods. However, office computer manufacturers usually only test a list of 12-26 procedures.

Regarding the testing department, Mr. Kenny Chien affirmed that Asus is transparent and open. “The products in the ExpertBook and ExpertCenter lines all pass at least 24 tests, exceeding the average number of tests that the computer industry usually guarantees. If the product does not pass the test, we will not announce that it has passed. The harsh environmental testing parts are performed by independent laboratories,” said the leader of Asus Vietnam.

He added that if in doubt, users can send their devices to a third party for evaluation. “We believe the results are still up to standard,” Mr. Kenny said.

Is military grade durability necessary?

In fact, the 28 tests in the US military standard are very harsh. They include vibration, twisting or running in humid rooms, sand, extremely high temperatures that customers normally do not experience. However, according to Asus representatives, these cases can still be encountered in some unexpected situations. For example, business trips to harsh weather areas such as high mountains, deserts. The function is designed for such options.

In addition, the hot, humid, rainy climate in Vietnam is also a condition that makes it easy for computers to have problems. “Many years ago, we discovered that some of our old models had keyboard errors in Vietnam, while they worked well in other markets. Of course, not only Asus, many brands also have problems.

After investigation, we discovered that the cause came from high humidity causing metal oxidation on the keyboard. Since then, the company has added a resistant coating to the entire line of devices and the efficiency has improved significantly," Mr. Rex Lee, Deputy General Director of Asus Global Corporation, told Tri Thuc - Znews.

Mr. Rex Lee, Deputy General Director of Asus Global Corporation.

In fact, all the features on the device are included in the selling price. The product meets the durability standards, withstands more expensive conditions than the normal type. The ExpertBook business computer line just introduced in Vietnam is reinforced with high-density metal in the main frame, screen and connection ports. It also withstands impact, bending and has a longer warranty.

Instead of promoting this factor on consumer machines, the company chose to target business customers. In this environment, durability, stability and longevity can all be converted into clear economic benefits.

Source: https://znews.vn/quan-doi-my-co-kiem-dinh-do-ben-may-tinh-post1589624.html