“Just this week, Consumer Reports posted an online review covering the iPad 2, and a small number of also-rans in the tablet PC world,” Gene Steinberg writes for The Tech Night Owl. “This report was meant as an upgrade to an article that appeared in the May 2011 newsstand issue, which was prepared before the iPad 2 was available to evaluate.”
“The conclusion was predictable. The iPad 2 gets an ‘excellent’ rating in nearly every category. Curiously, the original iPad was placed in a tie with the Motorola Xoom, though heaven knows why,” Steinberg writes. “Well, at least CR didn’t find any bogus antenna issue with which to downgrade Apple’s iconic gadget, but they aren’t entitled to much more credit than that, simply because they still haven’t a clue how to properly review products of this sort.”
Steinberg writes, “Understand that CR’s editors are entitled to their opinions, and they even entitled to publish highly flawed reviews that fail to address the needs of the end user. Rather, I’m concerned why the media, tech, mainstream and elsewhere, largely accepts CR’s word as gospel. The vast, vast majority of articles about their reviews are not critical. They never consider whether or not the magazine is using poorly conceived testing methods.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: For the record, we’ve been calling Consumer Reports crap for over half a decade and counting. We’d love to see some in the “mainstream” press question those idiots’ “findings” with at least a smidgen of critical thought for a change. Just because Consumer Reports is “nonprofit” and “independent” doesn’t mean their “Expert Ratings” aren’t meaningless tripe based on flawed testing and/or ridiculous criteria. Dressing up in white lab coats for photo sessions doesn’t make Consumer Reports a bunch of scientists.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple’s iPad 2 tops Consumer Reports’ tablet ratings – April 5, 2011
Consumer Reports on iPad 2: We didn’t notice any significant speed improvement – March 15, 2011
Consumer Reports was wrong on Verizon iPhone 4; so-called ‘death grip’ fixed by Apple – March 2, 2011
Consumer Reports: Verizon iPhone 4 has antenna ‘problem’; not recommended – February 25, 2011
Consumer Reports continues laughable vendetta against iPhone 4 – January 14, 2011
Android sweeps Consumer Reports’ rankings as iPhone 4 is omitted – November 17, 2010
All of Consumer Reports’ ‘recommended’ smartphones suffer attenuation when held – July 19, 2010
Consumer Reports: Apple’s free Bumper case does not earn iPhone 4 our recommendation – July 16, 2010
Consumer Reports: Apple’s Bumper case fixes iPhone 4 signal-loss issue – July 15, 2010
Consumer Reports continues harping on iPhone 4 attenuation issue – July 14, 2010
Electromagnetic engineer: Consumer Reports’ iPhone 4 study flawed – July 13, 2010
The Consumer Reports – Apple iPhone 4 fiasco – July 13, 2010
Consumer Reports: Oh yeah, almost forgot, Apple iPhone 4 is also the best smartphone on the market – July 12, 2010
Consumer Reports: We cannot recommend Apple iPhone 4 – July 12, 2010
Consumer Reports: Apple Retail Store is the best place to buy a cellphone – May 11, 2010
Consumer Reports: AT&T dead last in service survey; 98% of iPhone users would buy iPhone again – December 01, 2009
Consumer Reports does their readership a disservice, says viruses target Apple Macs – December 13, 2005
Consumer Reports: Apple’s new iPod screens scratch-prone like iPod nanos – October 28, 2005
Consumer Reports dubiously finds 20-percent of Mac users ‘detected’ virus in last two years -UPDATED – August 10, 2005
Question: Why does anyone, like those in the media accept CR? Answer: For the same reason that they promoted the election of the current U.S. President.
CR is in the same league with Leo Laport. Leo Laport loves every pig with a new lipsticks. He hates Apple because he complaints to people on every show for the past 12 months that Apple does not invite him anymore. He feels that he is very important and needs to have his ego polished. He said in January last year that it will be his last stab at Apple but up to today he still bristles at Apple.
How’s that Apple Kool-Aid?