
The Last of the Old-School Tech Reviewers - LaSombra
https://www.wired.com/story/the-last-of-the-old-school-tech-reviewers/?mbid=synd_digg
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klondike_
I think there's a fundamental difference in how technology is sold nowadays
versus how it was sold a decade ago.

Technology used to be sold as a solution to a problem. Want to record TV? Buy
a VCR. Tech specs are important because you want to find the best solution to
the problem.

Nowadays, for better or for worse, technology is sold as an "experience." A
modern phone doesn't really do much a phone from 5 years ago can't do, so
phones are sold based on how they look and the smoothness of operation. Will
anyone really notice 2gb of RAM vs 3gb of RAM? Because of this, modern
reviewers will emphasize first impressions and general "feeling" of the
device.

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ashleyn
The main difference I see between 80s tech and today, besides the obvious
increase in specifications, is the emphasis on an extremely simplified user
experience. Before Microsoft and later Apple started emphasising ease of use
in the mid-nineties, tech was niche and obtuse. Things were possible, but not
easy to use. There were a lot of good ideas coming out but none of them were
ever refined enough that Grandma and Grandpa can just pick it up and use it.
80s tech was often a solution in search of a problem, with the generous
assumption that every consumer was patient enough to sit down and learn its
intricacies.

An example of this I've seen was the pay-TV service Tele1st. In 1984, this was
billed as a way to rent first-run movies to consumers without having to go to
the video store, by recording them onto tape overnight from an encrypted
broadcast. Sounds simple, right? Only, the encryption was a PITA to set up:
you needed to wire this big-ass box into your phone line and VCR, and prior to
every broadcast of Tele1st, you would have to adjust a knob on the bottom of
the unit so that the contrast matched a test pattern shown before the first
movie. If you didn't do this, the encryption would fail. See for yourself:
[https://youtu.be/jR8YQu1HT8Y](https://youtu.be/jR8YQu1HT8Y)

Another example was the generous assumption that we would all be BASIC
programmers. BASIC was pushed as the next essential household skill, like
operating the TV or running the washer. V-tech toys came with reading,
spelling, math, and BASIC. But in the end, all Grandma and Grandpa want is
something that works when you press the button. They don't have the time or
patience to figure out BASIC for a recipe keeper, that's what the modern-day
App Store is for.

One of the strongest lessons Steve Jobs taught the tech world, is that the
ease-of-use makes the difference between the IBM Simon and the culture-
changing impact of the iPhone.

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toastking
This is also the way most technology goes. You used to be able to fix any part
of a car. Now engines are sealed and hard to repair and cars have automatic
transmissions. Consumer electronics takes this path as well. This is why voice
assistants have been so popular. They provide an arguably worse experience
than using a computer to do similar tasks, but the ease of use of their
interface is attractive.

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rospaya
I'm not as old school as Braithwaite but I used to do the same types of
reviews for more modern equipment. I remember being half blind after measuring
the lightning levels for 8 hours on plasma TV's, losing my mind after
finishing a 40 laptop test and sleeping beneath my desk in the magazine's
office.

We used to do detailed tests with dozens of measurable points, making
objective features 90% of the final grade with huge spreadsheets counting
every specific feature of a laptop, TV, phone, MP3 player, later tablet or
netbook.

Back then I knew every review in my magazine was made with precision and care,
I knew they could be trusted and reading two thick pages about a device made
sense.

Today it rarely does.

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michaelbuckbee
This seems kind of weird to say, but I wonder how much of the demise of the
"old school tech reviewers" is the massive quality improvement in many/most
categories coupled with a massive decrease in price as well.

A "good" 1991 TV was a 27" that cost about $1400 (in 2017 dollars)

Today $1,400 will get you a 65" 4k Curved TV that weighs less, consumes less
energy and (to someone from 1991) would have what appears to have a sci-fi
level of image quality. The fact that it also has apparently nearly everything
on demand for the price of a single movie rental is likely also astonishing.

I just feel like it's hard to walk into a BestBuy and get what you could call
a "bad" TV for $500.

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Daneel_
I'd say Anandtech is the closest we come to this level of detail today, and we
just have to hope they'll keep going long term.

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Jonnax
Notebookcheck are a German outlet that do high quality reviews of laptops.

Things like using a thermal camera to show hot spots, measuring display
response rates, display calibrations, noise levels plus the standard
performance tests.

Tft Central is another one for monitor reviews though they only review the
most popular since I think they're understaffed.

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Brakenshire
Yeah, Notebookcheck were the first equivalent that came to mind.

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nnfy
I remember when CNET was trustworthy, and not a giant, malware ridden
advertisement...

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bluedino
CNET was always the 'PC World' magazine level of reviews for the masses.
Lacking in detail/substance

