Man up

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I agree with Michael. If you do a review, don’t waste your readers time.



  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Roy-Liu/703443252 Roy Liu

    I completely concur. The Verge product reviews are a complete waste of time, I no longer read them.

  • JW

    FWIW, the Verge piece he quotes is not a review. I agree with him in principle though.

  • rolphus

    As has been said, this isn’t a review. There’s no score, and no verdict. It’s a list of the pros and cons; reasons you might be excited or disappointed.

    I actually think the comment “If you’re willing to forgive this car for its horrible proportions, awkward steering and bad weight balance for a beautiful paint job and solid chassis, then this hot rod won’t disappoint.” isn’t an unfair one to make in a car review. If what you want is a beautiful paint job and a solid chassis, then that car’s clearly ideal for you.

    • http://www.facebook.com/klingman Erik Klingman

      In fact, it says “Preview” right at the very top

  • EzraWard

    Why did he use an article that wasn’t a review to ding reviews on The Verge?

  • ort888

    But things aren’t always black and white. I don’t want a surface and I think it’s a flawed concept, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t meet someone elses needs. I’m sure there are people out there who would find it to be the perfect device for them.

    Everything isn’t black and white. Everything isn’t either good or bad.

    This isn’t even a review, it’s a preview. It’s not the time to take a stance on the product, it’s a time to give a broad overview.

    I don’t understand why so many bloggers have a bug up their butt over the Verge. Tech bloggers in general seem like a very catty bunch.

    We’re talking about gadgets here, not important issues. Everyone seems to take this stuff so painfully seriously.

    Maybe the Surface is just okay. Maybe it’s good at some stuff and bad at others. Maybe pointing out it’s strengths and weaknesses is the correct way to talk about it. Maybe some sort of hard stance is not required.

    • Soup

      I agree. When I read a review, all I may really want is to hear someone talking about the product and it’s pros and cons without the heavy-handedness that sometimes comes with having a verdict that the author then feels a need to defend. I understand the principle, and it’s certainly not always a negative thing, but sometimes a less verdict-centric and more rounded approach is beneficial.

  • http://darcyfitzpatrick.tumblr.com/ Darcy Fitzpatrick

    At least they make some effort to highlight the potential cons in a product they review. Or don’t actually review, as is the case here.

  • BC2009

    I have read some reviews on The Verge that are pandering to the fanboys (i.e.: they are afraid to outright call something bad that is bad or they are afraid to overly praise something for fear of not looking objective). However, in many cases I think they are trying to take multiple perspectives to accommodate their wide reader base and in some cases the author of the review seems a bit bored with technology (it takes a whole lot for Apple to impress Josh Topolsky because he has high expectations — they have to beat his expectations, not just the competition).

    I thought The Verge did a great job with the Nexus 4 review and the Galaxy Note 10.1 review — clear examples of “manning up”.