Is CNET/ What hifi too much apple biased or are they talking facts?

[Deleted member 45006]

When u read through, CNET's or What hifi's reviews on Phones/ Tab's/ Laptops why they "overhype" Apple too much. For a layman like me, it sounds like they get paid for overhyping small tweaks which the company makes.

For instance, Yosemite's new Notification features have no competition - CNET

Why did they make a page to "hype" it? Also, is truly iPhone/iPod the real class leader on Cellphone sound quality?

Did anyone else feel like what I mentioned is a fact?

 

[haisaikat]

Since you said audio quality, I have never owned an iPhone but have owned an iPod classic 30 GB since 2006 and must say that the hardware is quite durable so as to keep it running even as of date.

Also I have read several reviews and even watched youtube videos where people have recorded concerts very very well with their iPhones. So in my opinion apple at least provided good and durable hardware for the price you pay. No comments on softwares or other aspects

 

[Shivam]

Their software / OS is better than Windows and that is what matters to most. I however disagree to what CNET and Whathifi have to say since I like the features in linux (with KDE, Gnome desktop) better than Apple.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I guess that Apple has always specialised in the polishing of the visual and the user experience and that's what people buy apple for.

I don't know about the publications mentioned generally, but that article seems like an Apple article for Apple people. Each to their own!

Those who want the Apple look will buy Apple; those who want the Windows look will buy MS; those who want almost complete choice to make their desktops look however they want (and I have to confess that mine is more than a touch reminiscent of the WinXP-classic look) will "buy" Linux. Freedom! Even though my system is Ubuntu-based, there is not a sniff of Unity! We can do whatever we like .

 

[keith_correa]

Also, is truly iPhone/iPod the real class leader on Cellphone sound quality?

Does anyone buy a cellphone for the call sound quality? I doubt it.

 

[Deleted member 45006]

Does anyone buy a cellphone for the call sound quality? I doubt it.

Meant the audio player quality but of course I do check the sound quality of earpiece as once bought u have to live with a bad sound on calls, which is the primary purpose of a cellphone. I wish my current phone had that bassy earpiece which was more sounding 'human' like motorockr I used some years back. I won't go around shops trying making calls, but in most websites 'call quality' is a parameter, but not sure they meant the earpiece speakr quality.

 

[gobble]

When u read through, CNET's or What hifi's reviews on Phones/ Tab's/ Laptops why they "overhype" Apple too much. For a layman like me, it sounds like they get paid for overhyping small tweaks which the company makes.

Why did they make a page to "hype" it? Also, is truly iPhone/iPod the real class leader on Cellphone sound quality?

Did anyone else feel like what I mentioned is a fact?

Yep, i've aways felt the same. Most Americans are fond of locally made products what with all the anxiety of Chinese taking over their manufacturing sector. Of course that the outer shell and body is well engineered makes it all the more pride inducing. And that is admittedly true of many western engineering products today compared to say anything Indian.

but given that we Indians have so many follies ourselves, all in the name of culture, it is best to keep quiet and ignore the hype and invest your money wisely where you think it worthwhile... hyeah:

Try telling others that Dharwad pedha is trash and that you don't like sambaar with a Mangalore touch, or that Chitales bhakarwadi is lousy or Moglai food makes you want to vomit or that the much hyped India Coffee House offering is just mud at the bottom of a cup of brown water ... or that Indian wines taste like shit no matter the hype ... hyeah: You'll get similar reaction as an American will show if you tell him about this hype.

G0bble

 

[dheerajin]

yes most of the times it is paid...but if you can compare the DAC of indian origin like "sonodyne"& thyaga form accoustic potrait..they are much superior to what we paid for the foreign DAC. Same goes with the cables supplied from Mr Murhy...or whatever audiophile grade cables from indian origin or from the blue jeans. there are DIY pre-amp like Pass B1 and similar philosophy for power amp..one can have system like audiophile grade without spending much INR..

So its your choice to have ...great audiophile system within your limited budget..
choice is yours...
only thing that is left is speakers ..and I believe from my experience that it is
not doable from DIY since it needs much measurements and that is not possible with home audio experince. Please see the same thing on Net , for PSB speakers ..in CANADA..for research capabilities..
cheers
Dheeraj

 

[Nero9]

ofcourse, they get paid

 

[asliarun]

Yep, i've aways felt the same. Most Americans are fond of locally made products what with all the anxiety of Chinese taking over their manufacturing sector. Of course that the outer shell and body is well engineered makes it all the more pride inducing. And that is admittedly true of many western engineering products today compared to say anything Indian.

but given that we Indians have so many follies ourselves, all in the name of culture, it is best to keep quiet and ignore the hype and invest your money wisely where you think it worthwhile... hyeah:

Try telling others that Dharwad pedha is trash and that you don't like sambaar with a Mangalore touch, or that Chitales bhakarwadi is lousy or Moglai food makes you want to vomit or that the much hyped India Coffee House offering is just mud at the bottom of a cup of brown water ... or that Indian wines taste like shit no matter the hype ... hyeah: You'll get similar reaction as an American will show if you tell him about this hype.

G0bble

After living in the US for a few years, I can confirm this. There are two other points worth thinking about:

1. In the last few years, unbiased reporting has generally been pulverized by biased reporting. Look at news channels and newspapers in India or US for example. Biased reporting or "opinionated" reporting sells far far more than unbiased, objective reporting. Like in politics, this aspect has infected even tech reporting. Previously it was Intel vs AMD or Windows vs Mac. Now, it is Apple (iOS) vs Android.

The blunt fact is that people are no longer interested in unbiased, objective, and ethical reporting. They want to hear news that affirms what they already believe in, not something that is contrary. Previously, opinions and beliefs were only held by the tech savvy, but ever since Apple and Android put technology in the hands of everyone, now everyone has an opinion, no matter how half baked.

2. Even if CNET did not take any money from Apple, Apple has always enjoyed a very special relationship with the media. Media loves Apple and even insignificant news from Apple or random speculations are hyped up and reported by the media as "revolutions". This has been happening even way before Apple became a powerhouse and even when they were the clear underdogs.

I don't know why - probably because Apple has always made very highly polished products. A certain demographic has always been ardent Apple fans - the creative, the intelligentsia, the "hip". To them, Apple has always been a fashion statement, a chic choice. And mind you, Apple has never let them down.

You will be hard pressed to find brands that have focused on their fanbase as fanatically as Apple. Fashion and luxury brands, yes. Rolex, Omega, Chanel, Amani, Jaguar, Ferrari, etc. But no affordable brand. Only Apple.

Even in modern terms, perhaps only Tesla commands the kind of hype and adoration that Apple does. And a Tesla costs $90k - again, only for the rich.

 

[ranjeetrain]

The thing with Apple is - whether you love them or hate them, you can't ignore them.

Is Apple hyped? Well yes, a very emphatic yes. A small entertainment gadget maker company doesn't become world's most valuable consumer brand without being hyped. The real question is - Are they over-hyped? Are their products worth the adulation? The price?

The opinions will vary.

It's not an everyday thing that a company becomes successful in the Apple way. Apple has become a rage, a phenomena, a cult, an obsession. We may have seen products becoming hyped well prior to their launch. The press plays a big part in it. Take for instance cameras. Many DSLRs from Nikon and Canon are so hyped even prior to their launch that there is a huge pre-order for them. Specially Nikon has a history of facing difficulty coping with the demand.

Back to Apple: In many countries, China is a prime example, Apple is not hyped or over-hyped. People are simply obsessed with them. In China, even if a person may have a total of CNY 500 worth of cloths-shoes on his body, he would have a CNY 5000 worth of iPhone in his hand. Those a bit better off, an iPhone and an iPad. All fully pimped up with accessories that will alone cost more than an average phone. In China, people have lined up at the Apple store up-to 36 hours in advance before the official launch of a product. Hungry, thirsty, taking time off-work, queuing up in a rare display of civic sense for durations as long as 36 hours?

What would you call it? This is called obsession. Pure obsession! Hype can't cause it. It has to be too much of it. The news about a teenager Chinese kid selling his body part to buy an Apple product went viral. I am sure there are similar stories from other parts of the world.

I have owned a number of Apple products. I still do. I am not using them and they are lying almost gathering dust is another matter. I am sure there would be a lot of people like me, who have Apple products for the heck of it. It all points towards a common theme. Hype, too much of it, surrounds Apple products. And it is not impossible that Apple marketing team tries to influence the press. Not necessarily by paying them cash, but by creating opportunities of revenue generation for them by indirect means.

And since we are living in a capitalist world.....

Though I must add here, to Apple's credit, their products are designed for a specific segment in mind. They target the buyer willing to pay a premium. And they do try to make their product worth that premium. And in most cases they have succeeded. There are exceptions such as iPhone 1 and 2 and to an extent iPhone 3. But besides these couple of products, with every product Apple has set a benchmark that pushed competing companies to the margins. They were forced to ape the Apple, copy it unashamedly, in order to sell some units.

Apple products have definitely been market redefining. And that's not only due to price alone. Features and the whole experience combined into that. Definitely enough reasons to begin a cult. The Apple fan club is based on more than just irrational hype.

OTOH, Apple's policies have made sure that it will have it's fair share of critics. My dissatisfaction with Apple products started when I found Apple didn't allow copying my music back from my iPod to computer. Apple may have had their logic behind building such restriction in their products. But for consumer who were a little more than dumb users looking to get their work done easily, the so called power users, these restriction meant the Apple devices were a tad too restrictive in their handling. I can insert a bootable flash-drive in any computer and it will boot through it if it's set to boot from USB. Not an Apple. These are the kind of things that puts a power user off and drives them away from Apple.

If Apple products have created a fan club, they have also created a critique club. And both the clubs have equally passionate members with equally strong feelings.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I have never owned an Apple product, and it is very probably that I never will. In fact, I've only used one for about an hour.

However, I recall arguing with colleagues who said, at that time, that Apple was doomed because it had only 10% of the personal computer market. It seemed to me that 10% of the market was something worth having!

So what is the only Apple thing I really, really, really regret not buying? Shares!

About reviewing in general, there is a whole can of worms here on head-fi. This concerns the pressures, concious and unconscious, on a particular kind of review[er] now to be found all over the internet. Pro journalists probably have a different set, perhaps more directly commercial. I still hold out the hope that some of the guys out there who are doing it for a living, or their employers, have a certain integrity --- but I have been disappointed in human nature before and I'm sure I will be again!





~

 

[hydra]

When it comes to marketing hype, Apple is the new Bose: All smoke and mirrors.

I personally stay away from Apple products because the hype-driven marketing turns me off completely: I liken it to the marketing of Cola drinks.

I use a 2002 20GB iPod and I love it (as far as music playback and ease of use while listening to music goes). But I hate that I have to jump through hoops to load music on it. So, believe it or not, it contains the same music I'd loaded on it in 2005 or 2006. I hooked it up to my Alpine HU in my car (that controls the iPod and charges it) in 2006, and it stays hooked up. When I changed cars in 2008, it got carried over, and there it stays to this day.

I appreciate the build and design of Apple products very much. I particularly like how an iMac sounds with Amarra loaded. But I'm wary of switching to an iMac for music playback duties, because well, Apple will be Apple, and they will find a way to get me to pay for something or the other, somewhere down the line, for more or less the same functionality: Either to themselves, or for some 3rd party accessory that will be needed to convert something to something for everyday use. And well, mostly I'd like to not promote Apple's walled garden policies by paying money to get in and stay in.

 

[dheerajin]

If anyone has seen the documentary "The Lightbulb Conspiracy", then he can easily relate the apple's policy towards its products.
If your IPOD/IPAD battery is finished then you have to buy new IPOD/IPAD and battery is not replaceable and battery life is deliberately kept short.

This policy is called "Planned obsolescence"
for this you can read following links-
Planned obsolescence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Planned Obsolessence.wmv - YouTube

One day my friend has come to my place to listen to music system and he owns IPHONE 5. He said to me - you spent 70K INR on a DAC...are you Nuts..

I said when you can spend 55kINR on a phone then how come I can not spend on DAC. hyeah::lol:
Then he realized his mistake but he was blinded by the brand apple and he hardly uses any feature of Iphone other than recieving and calling.
So its all brand I guess people are after..
No real value addition if you buy apple products...YMMV

 

[gobble]

I use a 2002 20GB iPod and I love it (as far as music playback and ease of use while listening to music goes). But I hate that I have to jump through hoops to load music on it. So, believe it or not, it contains the same music I'd loaded on it in 2005 or 2006.

And well, mostly I'd like to not promote Apple's walled garden policies by paying money to get in and stay in.

Egg-jaitly!!! I purchased an iPod 3g in 2008, and within a week of using it was disillusioned with the closed wall approach and the notion of being locked in. Esp since I was an open source geek. I never used the iPod for 5 years after that first month and last year sold it to a colleague.

Now when it comes to tablets I've been dying for a 7" or 8" 4:3 tablet for TWO years now, yet I refuse to buy the iPad mini retina. Especially due to lack of external SD card options. I would rather suffer all the moron marketing and product managers in the world who steadfastly refuse to launch tablets in the 4:3 format with expandable storage and are blind to its value to consumers, from G00gle to @pple rather than stick my fingers into the narrow crevice that is @pple and jam them for life.

G0bble

 

[rajudhs]

I would say people are more critical and unappreciative of Apple.

I have been using apple products, they are of exemplary quality and build quality is amazing. They last for years.

I recently did a mistake of moving to android Nexus/Galaxy phones, as i find iphone 5 too expensive.

Using Android phones since last 1 year, i am planning to move back to apple, for its consistent performance, great build quality and also product quality. Even Apple Apps are good and well designed. Battery life is amazing.

The key to apple being a better product is, they make OS for their focused hardware, which gives consistent performance and better battery life too.

 

[Saket]

T My dissatisfaction with Apple products started when I found Apple didn't allow copying my music back from my iPod to computer. Apple may have had their logic behind building such restriction in their products. But for consumer who were a little more than dumb users looking to get their work done easily, the so called power users, these restriction meant the Apple devices were a tad too restrictive in their handling. I can insert a bootable flash-drive in any computer and it will boot through it if it's set to boot from USB. Not an Apple. These are the kind of things that puts a power user off and drives them away from Apple.

+1 to this. I have been always been a happy Mac user, until I try doing something unconventional...like stuff that I can do on a windows PC. The user experience is very good on the OS X version that I use, but at times I feel restrictive when it won't have options & flexibility like windows for some specific tasks.

Apple is good in what it does, but you try experimenting with you machine and it won't let you a dime.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

OS X is based on Unix, right? So is Apple's genius that they took one of the most flexible operating systems in the world and made it inflexible?

The only time I had doubts was when I saw the travel photos a friend of mine had taken on her iPhone. However, the fact that my phone camera is crap is the fault of Motorola, not the fault of Android.

People say that Apple stuff just works, which is indeed a great advantage. How many times have I screamed, when working with Windows and Windows software, "Why can't it just work? Aaaarggh!" Too many; far too many. But my Android phone (with a lousy camera) just works too, and where it doesn't, it is probably something that I messed around with and messed up, and I (like you gobble?) like having the freedom to do that.

But there's one thing, and it is an appropriate thing for us: all the serious music apps are for Apple. I do think that Apple have put a lot more effort into audio.

 

[asliarun]

Egg-jaitly!!! I purchased an iPod 3g in 2008, and within a week of using it was disillusioned with the closed wall approach and the notion of being locked in. Esp since I was an open source geek. I never used the iPod for 5 years after that first month and last year sold it to a colleague.

Now when it comes to tablets I've been dying for a 7" or 8" 4:3 tablet for TWO years now, yet I refuse to buy the iPad mini retina. Especially due to lack of external SD card options. I would rather suffer all the moron marketing and product managers in the world who steadfastly refuse to launch tablets in the 4:3 format with expandable storage and are blind to its value to consumers, from G00gle to @pple rather than stick my fingers into the narrow crevice that is @pple and jam them for life.

G0bble

I have been using a Nexus 7 for a couple of years. It is good, but I really wished it was in the 4:3 format.

You can consider the Xiaomi MiPad. It is in the 4:3 format and is probably one of the best value for money product you can get (IF you can figure out the shipping part, I guess).

 

[gobble]

I have been using a Nexus 7 for a couple of years. It is good, but I really wished it was in the 4:3 format.

You can consider the Xiaomi MiPad. It is in the 4:3 format and is probably one of the best value for money product you can get (IF you can figure out the shipping part, I guess).

Waiting for a diwali launch hyeah: but I am skeptical of xiaomis marketing strategy. Create hype then don't deliver because production is lagging demand.