Re: Review comparison by PC Magazine: Open for On-line Business
This WebDNA talk-list message is from 1997
It keeps the original formatting.
numero = 15836
interpreted = N
texte = On 12/28/97 7:48 AM, Robert Brandtjen wrote> Some one should point out to Jean-Pierre that PC magazine doesn't >mention lots of great products out there, they tend to only review >products which are advertised in their magazine.I think that's a pretty irresponsible statement. I think PC Mag tends to focus mostly on what it considers leading products, or those with the most market presence and share. Edit is NOT generally drived by ad sales (these two groups are fairly distinct and separated, at least within most Ziff pubs).> You will almost always see ads clustered around the review of the >product, especially microsoft products.This is true, but you've got the reasoning backwards. Sales are sold based on the edit content, with products more heavily marketed in issues where that category of product is heavily covered; the stories are not decided based on ad sales. > Wittness the forthcomming Merced chip, designed to implement RISC >programming in the wintel world - never a mention of how powerful and >infinitly more advanced IBM's PowerPC chips are, implemented and USED in >the Mac world for 4 years now.Again, this may be a failing, but it's not a conspiracy. It's the fact that 90+% of all operational PCs in the world use Intel chips, most don't use PowerPC chips. Thus, right or wrong, most readers are interested in Intel stuff. >Anyone requiring an unbiased opinion on anything - software or hardware - >should pick up Byte or another such magazine.
. First, there's no such thing as an unbiased opinion...opinions are biased by definition. Second, though Byte may be less market driven or crassly focused on formula-based-content-for-revenue, it has it's failings and biases, and it is a for-profit effort as well.As for the whole issue of the original request, I think Grant's response was appropriate and many of the others were unfortunately not. Mac users may not like or approve of the different models of evaluation and marketing used in the broader PC world, but sniping defensively is not particularly useful (or attractive). Mac users can sound quite shrill. While it's true that this kind of decision shouldn't be made based on a check list, it costs almost $0 to make one, and it does help a company play in the market. If vendors would like to enlighten users that there's more to picking a product than comparing a laundry list with Microsoft, cool. But politely address the request, then expand on the issue to explain a more useful process. Stamping one's feet and saying, It's irrelevant, you're stupid for making decisions that way only puts people off, and if it happens long enough the competition catches up technically (while maintaining better relations), and you're soon dead.Jeff DavisGod instituted prayer in order to lend to His creatues the dignity of causality. - Pascal----------------------------------------------------------------------- Data Foundations, Inc. Phone: 415-685-4438 1419 Burlingame Ave, Suite T Fax: 415-685-4439 Burlingame, CA 94010 Email: jwdavis@foundations.com Web: www.foundations.com -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Messages, from the most recent to the oldest:
On 12/28/97 7:48 AM, Robert Brandtjen wrote> Some one should point out to Jean-Pierre that PC magazine doesn't >mention lots of great products out there, they tend to only review >products which are advertised in their magazine.I think that's a pretty irresponsible statement. I think PC Mag tends to focus mostly on what it considers leading products, or those with the most market presence and share. Edit is NOT generally drived by ad sales (these two groups are fairly distinct and separated, at least within most Ziff pubs).> You will almost always see ads clustered around the review of the >product, especially microsoft products.This is true, but you've got the reasoning backwards. Sales are sold based on the edit content, with products more heavily marketed in issues where that category of product is heavily covered; the stories are not decided based on ad sales. > Wittness the forthcomming Merced chip, designed to implement RISC >programming in the wintel world - never a mention of how powerful and >infinitly more advanced IBM's PowerPC chips are, implemented and USED in >the Mac world for 4 years now.Again, this may be a failing, but it's not a conspiracy. It's the fact that 90+% of all operational PCs in the world use Intel chips, most don't use PowerPC chips. Thus, right or wrong, most readers are interested in Intel stuff. >Anyone requiring an unbiased opinion on anything - software or hardware - >should pick up Byte or another such magazine.. First, there's no such thing as an unbiased opinion...opinions are biased by definition. Second, though Byte may be less market driven or crassly focused on formula-based-content-for-revenue, it has it's failings and biases, and it is a for-profit effort as well.As for the whole issue of the original request, I think Grant's response was appropriate and many of the others were unfortunately not. Mac users may not like or approve of the different models of evaluation and marketing used in the broader PC world, but sniping defensively is not particularly useful (or attractive). Mac users can sound quite shrill. While it's true that this kind of decision shouldn't be made based on a check list, it costs almost $0 to make one, and it does help a company play in the market. If vendors would like to enlighten users that there's more to picking a product than comparing a laundry list with Microsoft, cool. But politely address the request, then expand on the issue to explain a more useful process. Stamping one's feet and saying, It's irrelevant, you're stupid for making decisions that way only puts people off, and if it happens long enough the competition catches up technically (while maintaining better relations), and you're soon dead.Jeff DavisGod instituted prayer in order to lend to His creatues the dignity of causality. - Pascal----------------------------------------------------------------------- Data Foundations, Inc. Phone: 415-685-4438 1419 Burlingame Ave, Suite T Fax: 415-685-4439 Burlingame, CA 94010 Email: jwdavis@foundations.com Web: www.foundations.com -----------------------------------------------------------------------
J.W. Davis
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