Thought: The Nexus 7 sold out everywhere. That would tend to make it a must have automatically. If you are supposed to represent the views of most of us, haven't you completely dropped the ball? You rated it lower than the inferior iPad2. Seriously?
You might want to seriously consider hiring more competent folks with less bias. Even MG Siegler loves the Nexus 7, and he's an unabashed Apple fanboy. When you show more bias than MG Siegler, you may want to consider a different line of work.
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How could you get it so wrong GDGT?
88 is higher than the average 8.2 of critic reviews, and the 9.1 average of the user reviews is only slightly better. I don't think the fact that it sold out should have any impact on the score, because pretty much everyone who's bought one so far did so without ever using the device. Hype and marketing have more to do with how a product sells pre-release than how good the product actually is.
Also, if you insist on using sales and comparing with the iPad 2, don't forget that the iPad 2 also sold out, and production couldn't keep up with orders for months. So even based on your criteria, the iPad 2 still deserves a higher score.
Also, if you insist on using sales and comparing with the iPad 2, don't forget that the iPad 2 also sold out, and production couldn't keep up with orders for months. So even based on your criteria, the iPad 2 still deserves a higher score.
No, the iPad2 ran unopposed. That makes the Nexus 7 accomplishment even more significant. There isn't one way the iPad 2 is better. It's bigger, heavier, lower resolution despite having a bigger screen, it's a dated design whereas this is all cutting edge. If you can't see the bias, you are being willfully ignorant.
I don't think it's bias. I think the main problem here is that scores are given to a device when they're released, and then never updated. When the iPad 2 came out, you're right there wasn't much to compete with. Compared with other tablets, it was great. Plus, the original iPad already had a score of 88, and clearly the iPad 2 is an improvement, so must get a higher score. The iPad 2's score of 92 seems reasonable at that time. But maybe not anymore.
I have a Nexus 7, and I'm going to sell my retina display iPad. I'm not an Apple fanboy. But I think the fact that the average of 30 critic reviews is 8.2 proves that gdgt's score isn't biased towards Apple. And I think pointing out that the device sold out as evidence that the score should have been higher doesn't make sense. Make that argument by talking about Android is better than iOS, or how the design of the devices is better, or how the specs are better. I'm not saying I agree with all those points, but those are at least valid arguments to defend your position.
I have a Nexus 7, and I'm going to sell my retina display iPad. I'm not an Apple fanboy. But I think the fact that the average of 30 critic reviews is 8.2 proves that gdgt's score isn't biased towards Apple. And I think pointing out that the device sold out as evidence that the score should have been higher doesn't make sense. Make that argument by talking about Android is better than iOS, or how the design of the devices is better, or how the specs are better. I'm not saying I agree with all those points, but those are at least valid arguments to defend your position.
I don't think dishonest is the right word. I'm just saying the reason the score for the iPad 2 is higher than the score for the Nexus 7 when the Nexus 7 is a better device is because the scores reflect how good the device was at the time of its release, not how it holds up in the current market. This is true of any review anywhere. I don't know of any tech sites that update their reviews for older gadgets to adjust them for how they stand up to newer technology. It would be kind of cool is someone did that, but it's probably too much work, and most people are probably just interested in buying the newest devices anyway.
So the fact that the New iPad and the iPad2 are both on the front page of this site as "must have!" even though this is a better product, isn't broken? That on the very front of this website, they are claiming that the iPad2 is a better product based upon an ancient score that is never updated, isn't dishonest? REALLY? That because of how this page is laid out, they are claiming a device barely half as good as this one that costs twice as much is a "must have!" while this isn't? No bias eh?
How about it appearing that the iPhone 4S is still a "must have!" despite there being no fewer than 12 devices with better build quality, higher durability, a more advanced mobile OS, more battery life, etc. Is that honest? To have a phone and design that dated featured prominently on the front page sitting over a phone that's twice as good in every single way? No bias?
How about it appearing that the iPhone 4S is still a "must have!" despite there being no fewer than 12 devices with better build quality, higher durability, a more advanced mobile OS, more battery life, etc. Is that honest? To have a phone and design that dated featured prominently on the front page sitting over a phone that's twice as good in every single way? No bias?
I agree with sawilson. I feel gdgt is tilted toward anything Apple. Apple makes great products but when there are clearly other better/more powerful options, they still get the higher scores. 4S being the prime example in it's rating even against newer Android devices with clearly better hardware. Then again, Apple is the IT thing right now and if you want to target the majority, that's the way to go. However the majority does not always mean the best. In fact, it usually is the opposite.
I'm going to ban the use of the word "bias" from here on out in this discussion. It's just an epithet that you're throwing around quite lazily.
Here's what I have to say:
The score for the Nexus 7 -- in fact the scores for any product on the site -- is derived from the reviews that are aggregated here on gdgt. We gave the Nexus 7 a relatively high score that reflects the general sentiment from reviewers that it is a very good product, though not without some drawbacks.
We do not go back and retroactively adjust scores unless there is a very compelling reason to do so (like a product turns out to have some flaw or issue that only is discovered after it has been on the market for some time).
Whether or not the Nexus 7 becomes a Must-Have is still an open question, actually, we don't always assign a score and a Must-Have designation at the same time. So we'll see, ok?
Here's what I have to say:
The score for the Nexus 7 -- in fact the scores for any product on the site -- is derived from the reviews that are aggregated here on gdgt. We gave the Nexus 7 a relatively high score that reflects the general sentiment from reviewers that it is a very good product, though not without some drawbacks.
We do not go back and retroactively adjust scores unless there is a very compelling reason to do so (like a product turns out to have some flaw or issue that only is discovered after it has been on the market for some time).
Whether or not the Nexus 7 becomes a Must-Have is still an open question, actually, we don't always assign a score and a Must-Have designation at the same time. So we'll see, ok?
That's fair. You should remove the iPad2 from the front page, and the iphone 4s though. They are ancient now and better products exist from other manufacturers. They no longer could be considered "must buys" considering the gulf between them and other product offerings.
That's fair. You should remove the iPad2 from the front page, and the iphone 4s though. They are ancient now, and better products exist from other manufacturers. They no longer could be considered "must buys" considering the gulf between them and other product offerings.
Whoa sawilson, you may just be reaching a little too much. Ryan, Peter, and the staff at GDGT in all the time I have interacted with them has let anything influence their scoring on anything but the gadget itself.
Since when does an item being sold out everywhere equal automatic must have. If you stop to think about it, I'm sure the supply while maybe not intentionally was low to create intense demand to build buzz, I knew the initial supply order would be low. If you look at the track record of Android tablets, beyond maybe the recently Kindle Fire, they haven't b been selling that well. If they was smart, they probably order a certain amount, in a let's see fashion instead of a huge stockpile of tablets that may have not sold. Even with the price point being what it is, I don't think they expect it to sell like hotcakes, so now they are scrabbling to increase supply.
But that doesn't make it a must have. The HP Touchpad sold out everywhere when the price dipped, but it has its faults and it wasn't a must have. A must have is a device you would recommend without a doubt based on your experience with the device and seeing it quality. That's what makes it a must have, not whether or not you can get your hands on one.
I just got one myself, and I'll put my review on GDGT as well in a few days of using it in my normal day operation.
Since when does an item being sold out everywhere equal automatic must have. If you stop to think about it, I'm sure the supply while maybe not intentionally was low to create intense demand to build buzz, I knew the initial supply order would be low. If you look at the track record of Android tablets, beyond maybe the recently Kindle Fire, they haven't b been selling that well. If they was smart, they probably order a certain amount, in a let's see fashion instead of a huge stockpile of tablets that may have not sold. Even with the price point being what it is, I don't think they expect it to sell like hotcakes, so now they are scrabbling to increase supply.
But that doesn't make it a must have. The HP Touchpad sold out everywhere when the price dipped, but it has its faults and it wasn't a must have. A must have is a device you would recommend without a doubt based on your experience with the device and seeing it quality. That's what makes it a must have, not whether or not you can get your hands on one.
I just got one myself, and I'll put my review on GDGT as well in a few days of using it in my normal day operation.
No, there's no whoah here. It's better than the iPad2 in every single way, but has a 4 point lower score. That's bias. And that bias is all over the front page of this site. Look at the score for the new retina macbook pro despite Apple getting kicked out of EPEAT for gluing it together. Look at the scores for items with non-replaceable batteries and non-anodized aluminum. Look at the laughable 94 score for the iPhone 4S compared to the HTC One S which is a much better phone. There's a huge Apple bias here, and this is just one more instance of that rearing it's ugly head. General rule of thumb, just add 5 to any score for a non-Apple device for the true score. You'd be amazed how accurate that is.
You are trying to compare a brand new device with a year+ old product? Consider the market when the iPad2 was released, and consider the market today. Why should gdgt go back to every old device and adjust their scores whenever a newer product is released? And no, the Nexus 7 is hardly perfect. The score is fine. Just buy it and use it if you like it.
The score is fine. In fact, it's a nice score for a 1.0 device that doesn't even support 5GHz wifi. If you have a range of numbers between zero to 100, anything above 50 means it's better than average. Besides, if you rely on gdgt's score for your purchasing decision, then it's your problem.
It's a better tablet, but is has a lower score. That means either the Apple scores are artificially high, or this score is artificially low. Either way it means GDGT's rating system is broken and biased. It's right there. Somehow this tablet that is universally adored that sold out everywhere, and is praised by absolutely everyone has the same score as the first generation iPad. Consider that "97" for the New iPad. I have one. It has no expandable storage. It has limited features. It is not durable. How did it get a 97 based on the ratings system here? How is it durable? How does it have "features" when it doesn't have an sdcard slot either?
Once again, if you can't see the Apple bias, you are being willfully ignorant. I'm sorry. There are exactly zero arguments to make for this obvious bias. There are exactly zero justifications. It's fanboyism by the editors, plain and simple. No other excuse works.
Once again, if you can't see the Apple bias, you are being willfully ignorant. I'm sorry. There are exactly zero arguments to make for this obvious bias. There are exactly zero justifications. It's fanboyism by the editors, plain and simple. No other excuse works.
No, that's the sad thing. It's not my problem. It's a criminal thing to misrepresent a product so badly. Think of all the people coming here that will get that bad information. That will think the new ipad actually deserves that 97. That think this isn't as good as a 4 year old iPad. The real people that lose are the people that happen upon this site and get bad information because of the heavy bias here. It's not my problem. It's this site's problem. It's heavy Dunning-Kruger effect expressed as a review site. It's fanboy driven reviews. It renders the site essentially worthless except to that small minority that don't care about the truth, and just want to read great things about their Apple products. It's a travesty.
Consider the hubris of the latest "omfg I'm going to try to switch to android omfg!" crap. Regardless of the fact that most people prefer Android on phones. Consider that someone thought it was "newsworthy" to make a story about switching from the minority product to the one people prefer. If you can't see the bias, well, there's no help for you.
Consider the hubris of the latest "omfg I'm going to try to switch to android omfg!" crap. Regardless of the fact that most people prefer Android on phones. Consider that someone thought it was "newsworthy" to make a story about switching from the minority product to the one people prefer. If you can't see the bias, well, there's no help for you.
[Full disclosure: I was an Apple fan years ago but currently dislike both Apple's OSes and prefer Linux and Android, both of which I adore and promote at every good excuse]
So far, your one valid point is that the iPad 2 really shouldn't be on the home page anymore... or at least there should be more than just those 2 iPads in that block. Other than that, you should probably go have a beer and tone down the nerves just a bit because you are going to give yourself a heart attack with all that stress over such relatively unimportant (in the grand scheme of things) details.
As far as your concern over "all the people coming here that will get bad information"... let's just be clear... normal people don't come to this site, and, if they did, they'd probably flee in terror at the sight of so much technology. This site is for tech enthusiasts, and I doubt too many non-tech-enthusiasts ever even find this site. Since the target audience is tech enthusiasts, they ought to have a high enough IQ to sort out the reality that the scores were given at the time of the review and never updated again after that. Therefore, they should be able to figure out that they need to take the gdgt score and critic scores with a grain of salt if the item is more than 1 year old. Personally, I pay very little attention to those scores and focus on user reviews. As an Android lover, I can't stand working on iPads for people here at work because I find iOS intensely frustrating, but I am honest enough to realize that the 97 score is probably not that far off for most people... just not me. I don't take the high iPad score personally, nor do I take the low Android tablet scores personally. Why does it matter.
Lastly, I just can't help but point out how hyperbolic your statement is where you say, "It's a criminal thing to misrepresent a product so badly." Last time I checked, free speech was legal in America (where this site does business), so there's nothing criminal about expressing an opinion. To quote Inigo Montoya, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
So, anyway, when you have calmed down a little, I'm sure you'll realize how silly all this is and be a little less confrontational in your approach. This ain't The Verge... we like to keep it civil here.
So far, your one valid point is that the iPad 2 really shouldn't be on the home page anymore... or at least there should be more than just those 2 iPads in that block. Other than that, you should probably go have a beer and tone down the nerves just a bit because you are going to give yourself a heart attack with all that stress over such relatively unimportant (in the grand scheme of things) details.
As far as your concern over "all the people coming here that will get bad information"... let's just be clear... normal people don't come to this site, and, if they did, they'd probably flee in terror at the sight of so much technology. This site is for tech enthusiasts, and I doubt too many non-tech-enthusiasts ever even find this site. Since the target audience is tech enthusiasts, they ought to have a high enough IQ to sort out the reality that the scores were given at the time of the review and never updated again after that. Therefore, they should be able to figure out that they need to take the gdgt score and critic scores with a grain of salt if the item is more than 1 year old. Personally, I pay very little attention to those scores and focus on user reviews. As an Android lover, I can't stand working on iPads for people here at work because I find iOS intensely frustrating, but I am honest enough to realize that the 97 score is probably not that far off for most people... just not me. I don't take the high iPad score personally, nor do I take the low Android tablet scores personally. Why does it matter.
Lastly, I just can't help but point out how hyperbolic your statement is where you say, "It's a criminal thing to misrepresent a product so badly." Last time I checked, free speech was legal in America (where this site does business), so there's nothing criminal about expressing an opinion. To quote Inigo Montoya, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
So, anyway, when you have calmed down a little, I'm sure you'll realize how silly all this is and be a little less confrontational in your approach. This ain't The Verge... we like to keep it civil here.
Sometimes you have to "go big" to make a point. Look how long it took to point out the obvious apple bias? That's what happens with biased people. They are so convinced they are "right" they refuse to see things right in front of them until it's right in their face. Consider the rating for the TF700T. It's essentially the Nexus 7, but with expandable storage, and a higher resolution screen. The same exact thing, yet it has an 82 from GDGT. No real reason given that makes sense. Wouldn't it make sense that it would at least have an 88? If it isn't bias, it just seems like people that have no real method, and no real idea what they are doing. And sure, the Ipad2 should be off the front page. And the iPhone 4S should be gone too. It's too old. They took the Galaxy Nexus off, They should take the 4S off. And when you consider that the Nexus 7 is being called the best 7" tablet made, it's absolutely ridiculous that it's not a "must have". If the best of something isn't a "must have", there is something incredibly wrong with your review site. Debate that.
Admittedly, the Nexus 7 deserves a spot in that "must have" block on the homepage. The thing just came out, though, and the gdgt staff is pretty small, so I am more inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt and be a little more patient about my expectations for when they will get to that. I mean, heck, Andy Ihnatko just posted his review yesterday, so even people who had it early aren't all finished with thorough reviews yet.
As far as low scores for other Android tablets go... I don't take any particular offense at this because even I, and Android lover, hated Honeycomb. Ice Cream Sandwich was only a little better. It's not until now, with Jelly Bean, that the interface has evolved enough to be efficient. A lot of people got confused with the previous tablet interfaces, and I can't blame them. Up until the release of the Nexus 7, I would honestly have chosen a Gingerbread tablet over a later model. I am even pondering skipping the ICS update on my Photon when Motorola releases it because I have yet to run into anything I couldn't do in Gingerbread and am perfectly happy with it. The one thing I would like that I don't have now is the ability to install Chrome, but that isn't a necessity.
So, yeah, I can understand an 82 rating from anyone who isn't a completely devoted Android user.
As far as low scores for other Android tablets go... I don't take any particular offense at this because even I, and Android lover, hated Honeycomb. Ice Cream Sandwich was only a little better. It's not until now, with Jelly Bean, that the interface has evolved enough to be efficient. A lot of people got confused with the previous tablet interfaces, and I can't blame them. Up until the release of the Nexus 7, I would honestly have chosen a Gingerbread tablet over a later model. I am even pondering skipping the ICS update on my Photon when Motorola releases it because I have yet to run into anything I couldn't do in Gingerbread and am perfectly happy with it. The one thing I would like that I don't have now is the ability to install Chrome, but that isn't a necessity.
So, yeah, I can understand an 82 rating from anyone who isn't a completely devoted Android user.
I can't. ICS is amazing from 4.0.3 on. I didn't like honeycomb at all. But lets compare the TF700T to the new iPad:
Lighter. Thinner. More cpu cores. More Graphics cores. Same battery life. A better grade of anodized aluminum over cheap non-anodized food grade simple aluminum with only a thin aluminum oxide coating for protection. Proper 16:9 form factor for better movie viewing in native 1080P. More expansion. HDMI out. Brighter screen that can be used in direct sunlight. Better contrast. Actual mouse input as an option. Chrome native. Better color saturation. Nvidia graphics with nvidia optimized games that work better than the ipad versions. And the indisputable king of tablet accessories in the amazing keyboard dock that includes an sdcard slot, a true USB port, and even more battery. I mean, how much better than an Apple product does a product have to be to score the same as one? It even costs 100 dollars less while offering so much more.
The iPad has the benefit of two things:
1) A dimmer screen with a marginally higher pixel count. You can't even tell the difference unless you hold them 7 inches from your face.
2) An Apple logo on the back
You can't even claim the Asus has a lower build quality. It's made from better materials, and it's more logical for real world usage. Plus Asus makes motherboards for Apple products, so it would be ridiculous to make that argument at all. There is no argument. It's a perception thing. As a technical guy, you know how astounding Jellybean is because they could have taken the apple route and crippled multitasking to make Android "smooth" but they didn't. They just out-engineered apple and made it smooth and still capable of doing 3 times more. Once again, how much better than Apple does a product have to be to rate the same? Is that not bias?
Lighter. Thinner. More cpu cores. More Graphics cores. Same battery life. A better grade of anodized aluminum over cheap non-anodized food grade simple aluminum with only a thin aluminum oxide coating for protection. Proper 16:9 form factor for better movie viewing in native 1080P. More expansion. HDMI out. Brighter screen that can be used in direct sunlight. Better contrast. Actual mouse input as an option. Chrome native. Better color saturation. Nvidia graphics with nvidia optimized games that work better than the ipad versions. And the indisputable king of tablet accessories in the amazing keyboard dock that includes an sdcard slot, a true USB port, and even more battery. I mean, how much better than an Apple product does a product have to be to score the same as one? It even costs 100 dollars less while offering so much more.
The iPad has the benefit of two things:
1) A dimmer screen with a marginally higher pixel count. You can't even tell the difference unless you hold them 7 inches from your face.
2) An Apple logo on the back
You can't even claim the Asus has a lower build quality. It's made from better materials, and it's more logical for real world usage. Plus Asus makes motherboards for Apple products, so it would be ridiculous to make that argument at all. There is no argument. It's a perception thing. As a technical guy, you know how astounding Jellybean is because they could have taken the apple route and crippled multitasking to make Android "smooth" but they didn't. They just out-engineered apple and made it smooth and still capable of doing 3 times more. Once again, how much better than Apple does a product have to be to rate the same? Is that not bias?
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I think GDGT gave it an honest and very generous score. 88 counts as universal acclaim in my book! I've never paid attention to the "must have" badge because I think everyone has different needs in a gadget.
I actually recommend Apple products to my family because I've observed that they are the most universally accessible products on the market today, yet I never have owned a single Apple product myself.
In that sense, your logic seems flawed. Just because it's popular doesn't make it a must have.
I actually recommend Apple products to my family because I've observed that they are the most universally accessible products on the market today, yet I never have owned a single Apple product myself.
In that sense, your logic seems flawed. Just because it's popular doesn't make it a must have.
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