TechCrunch: The Death Of The Spec

[HansTWN]

Very good point -- if specs don't matter, why isn't everybody trying to get their hands on a cheaper Ipad1 rather than the more expensive Ipad2? Or why do they upgrade to the iphone 4S when they have the 4? Siri will work on the iphone 4.

[lindsayw]

Hee, hee... what you ALL have saying is that the marketeers have been right all along. They know the difference between features and benefits. A car that can do 400mph is a feature, a car than go fast is a benefit. A Tablet that runs Android is a feature, a Tablet that is "easy to use, with lots of support" is a benefit. All the specs will be dumbed down into benefits and, in the end, most of us will take more notice of benefits.

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

The question is if this approach to selling still works in the post Steve Jobs era. Specs matter for every other product, TVs, cars, PCs, printers, cameras, etc. Comparing specs is part of (definitely not the only thing you should be looking at, of course!) the process of deciding if you are getting your money's worth or are asked to pay a lot of money for something that was made with cheap components.

Wide and easy availability of content should make it easier to not be tied into one eco system with any device.

The rise of Android is actually bringing the spec wars back in force for phones (yes, not for tablets at the moment). They all run a good operating system and have a great eco system, so specs and the service provider become the only differentiating features.

And one last thing --- do specs really don't matter? I would like to argue that a lot of Kindle Fire users would in the end be a lot happier with their devices if Amazon had upped the specs and sold the Fire for $250.-. Even though most users don't realize that, the device would run better and could do more. It is like buying a car with a bigger trunk, a lot of people don't care about it when making their purchasing decisions, but a bigger trunk makes for a better car.

You hit the old nail head buddy. Size matters.
I drive a little minivan now. Did drive Suburbans and then Tahoes for years but the gas got too much, and after retiring from the service I didn't need the towing so much, and when some nice teenager ran into my Tahoe, I just totaled it out, and got something a little smaller and more economical, but no where near a car trunk small.

[HansTWN]

[QUOTE=SeaKing;1832394 Did drive Suburbans and then Tahoes for years but the gas got too much, and after retiring from the service I didn't need the towing so much, and when some nice teenager ran into my Tahoe, I just totaled it out, and got something a little smaller and more economical, but no where near a car trunk small.[/QUOTE]

Sold it to the insurance company, the locals here say after such an accident. Good thing you are ok.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

More importantly -- who cares about speed limits?

The cops parked at speed traps.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Very good point -- if specs don't matter, why isn't everybody trying to get their hands on a cheaper Ipad1 rather than the more expensive Ipad2? Or why do they upgrade to the iphone 4S when they have the 4? Siri will work on the iphone 4.

Indeed, it isn't like anyone wants those old phones anymore.

[HansTWN]

That isn't what I was saying. I was asking why would anyone want the iphone 4s over the cheaper 4, if not for improved specs?

[The Terminator]

For me the spec's are the first thing I look at.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by CyGuy

Because the specs are the starting point, but not the final say of course. If I don't see SDHC in the specs it is a no-sale for me. There are other must-have items for me as well. However, once I find a few devices that meet my needs then the subjective things come into play.

That was my first thought.

Although, if it is less than a hundred bucks I might buy a budget device - I bought a Sony PRS-350 because it was on sale really cheap. Other than that, or.for my main Phone/ereader/music player/tablet/whatever else...No card memory no sale.

[HappyMartin]

The issue is not with the specs. It is with the assumptions made by the tech heads about what specs are important.

I seem to remember the iPad being nailed because by the spec sheet it didn't have a cf or sd expansion slot. According to many technically accomlished reviewers this was a major shortcoming. Millions of people decided it was no big deal and bought the device anyway. This was not a problem of the spec but of the assumptions made based on the specs.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by HappyMartin

The issue is not with the specs. It is with the assumptions made by the tech heads about what specs are important.

That goes back to what I was alluding to briefly in my posts earlier, that as a reviewer you need to understand what your audience thinks is important. In the case of the iPad, expandable memory was not.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by HappyMartin

The issue is not with the specs. It is with the assumptions made by the tech heads about what specs are important.

I seem to remember the iPad being nailed because by the spec sheet it didn't have a cf or sd expansion slot. According to many technically accomlished reviewers this was a major shortcoming. Millions of people decided it was no big deal and bought the device anyway. This was not a problem of the spec but of the assumptions made based on the specs.

Yes and no. Of course Apple would have sold even more units if they had included this. Then again with sideloaded content and more people opting for the 16GB versions they would have made less profit. And the really interesting question is how many ipad buyers would prefer to have an expansion slot (all other things being equal) but bought an ipad anyway? Just because somebody did buy an Ipad in the end doesn't mean they don't care. Just not enough to keep them from buying.

Anyway, I want to know the detailed specs and then make my decision.

[xg4bx]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

That isn't what I was saying. I was asking why would anyone want the iphone 4s over the cheaper 4, if not for improved specs?

because, to put it bluntly, people are status and trend whores who wouldnt be caught dead with last years model. its far more about fashion than the tech itself. all that matters is that its new and popular. you want to be cool dont you?

technology=penis size. theres no real reason to buy an 80" tv other than bragging rights: look what I have.


i hate to be so blunt but thats what it boils down to. peer pressure and fashion shape more purchases, especially in tech, than anyone cares to admit. theres no real reason to buy a kindle 4 if youve got a kindle 3 but plenty of people tripped over themselves to do so.

maybe 1 in 10 actually care about specs. personally i like to know what something can do now right out of the box rather than what the specs say it can theoretically do.

[HappyMartin]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

because, to put it bluntly, people are status and trend whores who wouldnt be caught dead with last years model. its far more about fashion than the tech itself. all that matters is that its new and popular. you want to be cool dont you?

technology=penis size. theres no real reason to buy an 80" tv other than bragging rights: look what I have.


i hate to be so blunt but thats what it boils down to. peer pressure and fashion shape more purchases, especially in tech, than anyone cares to admit. theres no real reason to buy a kindle 4 if youve got a kindle 3 but plenty of people tripped over themselves to do so.

maybe 1 in 10 actually care about specs. personally i like to know what something can do now right out of the box rather than what the specs say it can theoretically do.

This is just anecdotal. I have 2 wealthy friends using ipad 1's My wife and I use kindle 2's, the first available outside the states. I know loads of people using old tech because it still works.

My belief based on my anecdotal evidence is that tech savvy people become annoyed when they find themselves out of step with what the majority of people actually want and so they resort to calling them names.

To resurrect Steve. He was well known for saying "it just works". It was not Apples advertising this concept that made it popular. People really do want something that just works. For a lot of us tech is a tool not a hobby.

I use Apple as an example here. I am not interested in another apple bashing vs apple fanboy debate.

[Sil_liS]

I don't think that the Fire should be compared with the ipad until the 10" model comes out. If it's half the size you get half the price and half the weight, and it's focused on a different segment of the market.

The specs don't matter to people who don't know what the specs mean. Next year we will have devices with better specs anyway, but that doesn't mean that you should go another year without a tablet.