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Originally Posted by Sregener
Let's be honest people. Consumer Reports exists for people who know next to nothing about a product line and want some quick advice on where to start. It's not for people who want to research products for themselves. While enthusiasts might enjoy niche products, Consumer Reports is unlikely to expose the average reader to brands and products they never heard of, no matter how good they may be.
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You're not wrong.
More precisely, though, Consumer Reports is concerned about protecting mainstream consumers from bad products or vendors and towards safe buys.
The research the typical CR subscriber is interested in is more likely to be length of warranty or the likelihood the product dies two weeks after the warranty ends.
With technology products they are going to be more concerned with reliability, stability, and customer service and support than they are going to be with features. Out-of-box experience counts for a lot with them. And they look poorly upon products that don't work exactly as advertised from day one or that require constant updating to fix bugs. And any updates had better be automatic.
That means that for ebook readers they will always favor Kindles over pretty much everything. Pocketbook and Onyx might have a zillion advanced features but Kindles you just turn on, buy a book and start reading. Simplicity above all else. Hacking a Sony or a Nook? (What, and void the warranty? No way.) Scrounge across the internet for Apps, TTF fonts, or dictionaries for a Pocketbook? Nope; they judge the product based on what the manufacturer gives you. Discovering tips and tricks from a russian website? Too risky. They might brick the device.
They recommend *safe* choices.
(For cars, year after year they recommended Toyota Corollas and Honda Civics; safe and bland and economical. Exciting or fun to drive never factors in. Even on the rare occasions they test sports or luxury cars the recommended model is invariably the more practical and reliable one.)
The typical CR subscriber will buy a product and use it until it breaks and not even think of upgrading as long as the old one works. Buying a new reader every year? You don't need them; their job is to save you money, not help you... spend it.
CR fills a very important and necessary role; they are honest, blunt, and no-nonsense and strictly focused on consumer safety. But their reports are not for techies, hobbyists, or enthusiasts.