1) That's just for Apple products, but remember his site deals with a lot of different tech.
There's CE made by companies other than Apple¿ Seriously, sometimes I'm really too much zoomed in on Apple, and that isn't a good thing.
2) It's funny to see Gizmodo finally getting some Apple love in 2009 just to **** it up in 2010. They are invited to this next event but I doubt they will be getting pre-release HW to review.
The whole chart is kinda weird, like you already wrote. It is however becoming more 'green', wight the latest iPad reviewed by 17 out of 28 websites/companies/reviewers. Also of note is that hardly any reviewer got axed; a few have received a device on occasion, but those who started receiving them yearly kept on receiving them (hence, the chart is getting greener)
Walt, Bain & Pogue are the only ones who received all devices.
There's CE made by companies other than Apple¿ Seriously, sometimes I'm really too much zoomed in on Apple, and that isn't a good thing.
The whole chart is kinda weird, like you already wrote. It is however becoming more 'green', wight the latest iPad reviewed by 17 out of 28 websites/companies/reviewers. Also of note is that hardly any reviewer got axed; a few have received a device on occasion, but those who started receiving them yearly kept on receiving them (hence, the chart is getting greener)
Walt, Bain & Pogue are the only ones who received all devices.
I'd be OK with that if they came at it from the position of Apple doesn't offer me what I want/need in a desktop PC or I really love to build my own machine, but they never acknowledge the design and engineering, and oddly rally against notebooks, smartphones, and tablets as if they really have any control there as a DIYer.
I think I understand the psychological drivers.
The list of elite desktop PC specs frequently used in forum signatures probably gave it away LOL! It's worn like a badge of honor.
For notebooks it feels like spec-to-price ratio matters to them. Getting the biggest bang for the buck makes them feel smart and savvy.
For phones and tablets it seems like customization and choice of hardware vendor matters over user experience. Some also don't like the walled garden even if the apps are better. Feeling of having to make choices seems to give them a sense of power and control.
I read Anand's good-bye just by coincidence when he had just posted it. Normally I check the site once a day but not really every day esp on weekends.
But what struck me is that he said he'll assist AT with any questions and problems that they may encounter, as long as no confidential information was shared.
When I read it it wasn't making much sense - AT is a site that writes news, and I guess that while there me be occasions where they know things that are confidential and have to withhold, the majority of their work is to write about things that are not confidential otherwise they can't write about it.
Now with him going to Apple, it makes perfect sense - the sentence was always meant to protect him from AT. Itches me to see whether he'll show up on 9th and what his job will be.
Coming at it from another angle, Anand commanded considerable respect and credibility from the tech community, which is why his reviews of Apple products carried far more weight than those from just about anyone else. Unlike someone with an up front pro-Apple bias like Dilger, Anand's praise of the iPhone 5s and A7 SoC could not be readily dismissed. And that's what made fandroid heads explode -- they had no rebuttal (other than ad hominem attacks and outright lies) when Anand pointed out just how far ahead of the curve Apple has become. He was also the journalist that confirmed how Android OEMs try to game the benchmark tests.
I was looking forward to his review of the iPhone 6, as well as any wearables that might be announced on Sept. 9. His review of the 5s was key to my choosing that model over the 5c. More so than any other review, it took a thorough and objective approach with a minimum of irrelevant asides thrown in. Whereas other reviewers take a lazy approach, and just parrot a bunch of bullet points (without necessarily understanding what anything means), Anand actually did the legwork of testing and digging into the technical details (because he actually knows what they mean).
It will be interesting to see what role Anand takes at Apple. Perhaps he will be involved in shaping Apple's technical message. Even though his writing is highly technical, he also communicates the advantages and disadvantages very well. However, he also came up with novel ways of testing different products, so I could also see him involved in R&D or product development.
My only misgiving is that we won't see his review of the upcoming products that Apple is about to launch.
Well put.
Deconstructing the A7 article, the way he he conveyed positive aspects without hyperbole and less positive aspects without a hint of sarcasm or bias made for compelling reading. It's a very rare article that manages both which makes that ability, very interesting to Apple I presume.
Some of the 'future role' prognostications here are laughable. Doing a Katie Cotton PR job is about far more than being a Steve Jobs RDF promoter. I doubt that ALS possesse a fraction of the insider knowledge, industry and media contacts and sheer chutzpah that she did and without years of such experience he would be woefully exposed in that dogfight world. I also doubt he would be remotely interested in such a position.
I will miss his tech insight, probing tests and enthusiasm - all clothed in concise, sensible and credible journalistic style, less the geeky pedantry of most tech writers.
I 'can' see a role for him onstage. I would love to see him presenting a breakdown of the A8, not just a long list of mindnumbing tech bullet points but offering insight into 'why' Apple's chip design is what it is and what it means for future roadmap development. He could be 'that' guy, the one who ties it all together.
I searched for pictures of Anand Shimpi and they looked alike and the name seems quite unique. I knew he didn't work at Apple at the time but now I'm thinking maybe that was his name badge after all.
Hopefully the Anandtech site won't stop publishing such detailed analyses of Mac hardware, they tend to be the only ones that go to those lengths to benchmark and test everything. It's good to see him working at Apple though, hopefully he'll be better rewarded there.
I've been visiting Anandtech for years and I love reading their in-depth reviews and analysis.
I haven't been all that thrilled with some of Apple's recent hires, but this one gets two thumbs up from me!
Why? How do you expect it to increase the value you extract from apple products?
Me, I could care less if they hired anand or resurrected tom and hired him. They're both tech journalists and have little bearing on the devices I enjoy.
There are good and bad tech journalists. The good ones understand a product philosophy, the bad ones just project their own feature wish list into a review.
As tech journalists they have little influence.
Anand however showed an understanding of what Apple products try to achieve, while also understanding where they fell flat.
If in his new position at Apple he's able to remedie even just some of the things he criticized in his reviews, Apple's products will improve significantly.
I'd be OK with that if they came at it from the position of Apple doesn't offer me what I want/need in a desktop PC or I really love to build my own machine, but they never acknowledge the design and engineering, and oddly rally against notebooks, smartphones, and tablets as if they really have any control there as a DIYer.
I think I understand the psychological drivers.
The list of elite desktop PC specs frequently used in forum signatures probably gave it away LOL! It's worn like a badge of honor.
For notebooks it feels like spec-to-price ratio matters to them. Getting the biggest bang for the buck makes them feel smart and savvy.
For phones and tablets it seems like customization and choice of hardware vendor matters over user experience. Some also don't like the walled garden even if the apps are better. Feeling of having to make choices seems to give them a sense of power and control.
People who understand computers don't like walled gardens due to security concerns.
Trust is nice, control is better.
Unless as an owner you have the option to access your own device as root, which allows monitoring processes and network connections, tracing the kernel, etc. you don't know what your device does.
You would never know if your iOS device is a permanent bugging device for the NSA, because trusting Apple is nice, but useless in an age of gag orders.
Particularly a device like the iPhone from which one can't remove the battery and which has no hard power switch, has to be considered permanently turned on and permanently listening unless users can properly monitor and control low level aspects of the device.
The reason Apple blocks user access has everything to do with anti-piracy and DRM enforcement, nothing with security, because the user having the ability to escalate his privilege to root level doesn't mean random apps can do it (if that were the case the entire OS X security model were flawed...)
But obviously a little bit of simplicity and DRM win over privacy and security concerns, despite Snowden, despite Patriot Act, etc.
Starting to see opinion pieces by the usual suspects that 9/9/14 will be Tim Cook’s make-or-break event. So get ready for the “Is Tim Cook on the way out after a ‘disappointing’ iPhone 6 release?” articles on 9/10/14. You know it will happen. Meanwhile this hire seems to confirm Cook’s steady hand on the controls and I am waiting to see what he has in mind for Mr. Shimpi. Everything is pointing to a blockbuster event and banner year for Apple, its customers, its investors, and tech in general.
I wonder why the Verge didn't get access to the last iPad Air.
I don't really visit the Verge anymore since they went political and began straying more and more from tech, but I'm still curious as to why.
The Verge is making all the classic mistakes when a tech site (or other medium) goes so far off message that they end up satisfying no one. The exact same strategy happened at TechTV, which led to their eventual shutdown. Heck, one of their founders (Josh) recently left The Verge to work at Bloomberg and the guy who is the top dog over there now appears to be a raging alcoholic, but what do I know. I think they're probably losing money now and will go under in a year or two.
Always an exceptional review site, and the guy obviously knows his stuff.
What apple needs:
A truly moderated forum where user ideas that are GOOD are actually implemented properly.
I have made suggestions in regard to itunes software bugs and feature issue and NOBODY reads or filters them and MANY of the problems still aren't fixed.
Apple needs to use the free customer "beta" testers and crowdsourced feedback to make rapid corrections. If they don't they are like any other corporate behemoth.
NEWSFLASH: this isn't Apple's website. Send your feedback to them on their website.
no, it's not obvious at all. you exhibited an unusual amount of enthusiasm for something that has no obvious benefit. I'm curious why. still waiting.
What's wrong with Apple ][ having good faith that Apple clearly sees an obvious benefit in hiring Anand? Come to think of it, why would Apple hire him if there wasn't an obvious benefit? Is it wrong for Apple ][ to assume the company's bringing on people that will add to their success? Perhaps there's no obvious benefit to us, the customer, on the outside. Yet that doesn't mean it's unusual to think Apple sees some great way of using Anand's talent.......Perhaps in a way we wouldn't think of ourselves.
Surprisingly, most of the comments to Anand's "The Road Ahead" farewell are well wishes.
I had another thought about Anand's role at Apple. Anand is perhaps one of a handful of people who understand the user experience we expect with the ability to translate such requirements into technical specifications. In other words, Anand is one of a handful of people who could, I believe, ensure Apple maintains Steve Jobs' vision of a quality user experience or the "reality distortion field."
jobs' vision of quality isn't what the RDF refers to. the RDF refers to his ability to get engineers to agree to do things they didn't think they could do...and then do them.
Well yes, but it went further than that. It embraced everyone, the media and the public included.
Edit: and the RDF is a cynical way of saying that he had enough charisma to move mountains.
Comments
There's CE made by companies other than Apple¿ Seriously, sometimes I'm really too much zoomed in on Apple, and that isn't a good thing.
The whole chart is kinda weird, like you already wrote. It is however becoming more 'green', wight the latest iPad reviewed by 17 out of 28 websites/companies/reviewers. Also of note is that hardly any reviewer got axed; a few have received a device on occasion, but those who started receiving them yearly kept on receiving them (hence, the chart is getting greener)
Walt, Bain & Pogue are the only ones who received all devices.
And Mossberg, of course.
I started with first names, but thought surnames would be better. Just didn't change his as that was waaaay too long to type out lol
I think I understand the psychological drivers.
The list of elite desktop PC specs frequently used in forum signatures probably gave it away LOL! It's worn like a badge of honor.
For notebooks it feels like spec-to-price ratio matters to them. Getting the biggest bang for the buck makes them feel smart and savvy.
For phones and tablets it seems like customization and choice of hardware vendor matters over user experience. Some also don't like the walled garden even if the apps are better. Feeling of having to make choices seems to give them a sense of power and control.
Well put.
Deconstructing the A7 article, the way he he conveyed positive aspects without hyperbole and less positive aspects without a hint of sarcasm or bias made for compelling reading. It's a very rare article that manages both which makes that ability, very interesting to Apple I presume.
Some of the 'future role' prognostications here are laughable. Doing a Katie Cotton PR job is about far more than being a Steve Jobs RDF promoter. I doubt that ALS possesse a fraction of the insider knowledge, industry and media contacts and sheer chutzpah that she did and without years of such experience he would be woefully exposed in that dogfight world. I also doubt he would be remotely interested in such a position.
I will miss his tech insight, probing tests and enthusiasm - all clothed in concise, sensible and credible journalistic style, less the geeky pedantry of most tech writers.
I 'can' see a role for him onstage. I would love to see him presenting a breakdown of the A8, not just a long list of mindnumbing tech bullet points but offering insight into 'why' Apple's chip design is what it is and what it means for future roadmap development. He could be 'that' guy, the one who ties it all together.
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/47908/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
I searched for pictures of Anand Shimpi and they looked alike and the name seems quite unique. I knew he didn't work at Apple at the time but now I'm thinking maybe that was his name badge after all.
Hopefully the Anandtech site won't stop publishing such detailed analyses of Mac hardware, they tend to be the only ones that go to those lengths to benchmark and test everything. It's good to see him working at Apple though, hopefully he'll be better rewarded there.
I searched for pictures of Anand Shimpi and they looked alike
If true, that's a really old photo they've chosen to use, since Anand seems to have been balding for a few years now.
He also wears glasses in every photo I've seen, his face is more rounded, and his skin tone appears lighter.
I don't think Anand is that rare a name, so it's probably just a coincidence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anand_(name)
There are good and bad tech journalists. The good ones understand a product philosophy, the bad ones just project their own feature wish list into a review.
As tech journalists they have little influence.
Anand however showed an understanding of what Apple products try to achieve, while also understanding where they fell flat.
If in his new position at Apple he's able to remedie even just some of the things he criticized in his reviews, Apple's products will improve significantly.
People who understand computers don't like walled gardens due to security concerns.
Trust is nice, control is better.
Unless as an owner you have the option to access your own device as root, which allows monitoring processes and network connections, tracing the kernel, etc. you don't know what your device does.
You would never know if your iOS device is a permanent bugging device for the NSA, because trusting Apple is nice, but useless in an age of gag orders.
Particularly a device like the iPhone from which one can't remove the battery and which has no hard power switch, has to be considered permanently turned on and permanently listening unless users can properly monitor and control low level aspects of the device.
The reason Apple blocks user access has everything to do with anti-piracy and DRM enforcement, nothing with security, because the user having the ability to escalate his privilege to root level doesn't mean random apps can do it (if that were the case the entire OS X security model were flawed...)
But obviously a little bit of simplicity and DRM win over privacy and security concerns, despite Snowden, despite Patriot Act, etc.
Starting to see opinion pieces by the usual suspects that 9/9/14 will be Tim Cook’s make-or-break event. So get ready for the “Is Tim Cook on the way out after a ‘disappointing’ iPhone 6 release?” articles on 9/10/14. You know it will happen. Meanwhile this hire seems to confirm Cook’s steady hand on the controls and I am waiting to see what he has in mind for Mr. Shimpi. Everything is pointing to a blockbuster event and banner year for Apple, its customers, its investors, and tech in general.
The Verge is making all the classic mistakes when a tech site (or other medium) goes so far off message that they end up satisfying no one. The exact same strategy happened at TechTV, which led to their eventual shutdown. Heck, one of their founders (Josh) recently left The Verge to work at Bloomberg and the guy who is the top dog over there now appears to be a raging alcoholic, but what do I know. I think they're probably losing money now and will go under in a year or two.
DeD will be so jelly.
What do you mean... gellin' like Magellan?
NEWSFLASH: this isn't Apple's website. Send your feedback to them on their website.
What's wrong with Apple ][ having good faith that Apple clearly sees an obvious benefit in hiring Anand? Come to think of it, why would Apple hire him if there wasn't an obvious benefit? Is it wrong for Apple ][ to assume the company's bringing on people that will add to their success? Perhaps there's no obvious benefit to us, the customer, on the outside. Yet that doesn't mean it's unusual to think Apple sees some great way of using Anand's talent.......Perhaps in a way we wouldn't think of ourselves.
Well yes, but it went further than that. It embraced everyone, the media and the public included.
Edit: and the RDF is a cynical way of saying that he had enough charisma to move mountains.
What do you mean... gellin' like Magellan?
jelly=Jealous
Ugh. ????
I agree. I had to ask my kids what it meant when they first used it.