Enthusiasts who outright reject technical specifications are fanboys, not techies. Techies are people who want to know what goes into a device and how it works. A skilled techie will go further by using that information to modify the device to suit their needs.

I am not denying that user experience is an important part of the device. It's just that the specifications or benchmarking are the only objective ways to evaluate them. It lets you know the boundaries of the device's utility. The refresh rate of the screen tells you if it's good for video. The resolution of the screen tells you if it's good for text. CPU performance and RAM indicate the types of applications you can run. And so on. Anything less is arguing over personal preference. Yes, personal preference is okay. The problem is that varies from person to person, so there is really no way to figure out if a device will meet your needs unless you already know that the tastes of the review reflect your own.