"We're in a ."

"Tablets are killing the PC."

You've probably heard these statements before, and perhaps you've even seen the , which forecast the rise of tablets and the of traditional desktop and laptop PCs. But tablets might actually be boosting the rate by which consumers appreciate their PCs. As tablets gain market share, overall customer satisfaction with the PC industry is actually picking up.

This year, personal computer satisfaction is up 2.6 percent, to a record-high score of 80 on the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ASCI). The reason, , is probably because tablet use is on the rise.

How can this be? ASCI founder Claes Fornell theorizes that when unsatisfied PC users move to Apple and other tablet makers, only the most loyal and happy users are left using traditional PCs, such as Dell, HP, and Acer computers.