From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!duke!mcnc!unc!bch
Newsgroups: net.micro
Title: Re: Consumer Reports wants Users
Article-I.D.: unc.3701
Posted: Thu Jul 15 17:06:17 1982
Received: Mon Jul 19 03:58:01 1982


References: sri-unix.2089

As a long-time member of Consumers Union I carefully considered whether
I should send in for a questionnaire or not.  I decided not.

The purpose (and most important function) of Consumer Reports is the
evaluation of products as consumer items.  As such, expert testimony
(the kind I assume most people on the net would give) is probably
misleading.  What they are interested in is the useability, not the
capability, of machines.  IF IBM 3081s were sold for the price of
Apples, for example, the 3081 would be downrated for its complexity
and quality of documentation in the view of CU.

As I would not buy a car on the basis of a compendium of answers
from expert mechanics or race-drivers (remember they do their own
repairs) or audio equipment on the basis of the opinions of recording
studio engineers, If I were a novice interested in personal computing
I would certainly not buy a machine based on the opinions of high-end
users -- myself included.  What I would want to know is whether or
not I could use it as a beginner and whether or not it came doing the
things I wanted it to do.

Given the state of the art in ergonometric design of most personal
computers I doubt that the testimony of many readers here would be
useful, and might be disastrously misleading to a novice.  How many
here would feel positive about the TRS-80?  Yet Tandy has done as
good a job as any in introducing consumers to personal computers in
a positive way.

				Byron Howes
				University of North Carolina