There are people that know more about what you need than you know about what you need.
No, I’m not talking about politicians. I’m talking about hardcore tech-heads. They carry an iPhone or Droid and, should they meet someone who carries the opposite product, they’ll cut a bitch. They really, sincerely believe that everyone else in the world is exactly like them (and if they’re not, they’re obviously an idiot). And they often write for major tech magazines, where the spew ridiculous predictions and make sweeping generalizations that have nothing to do with reality.
Case in point – a Laptop Magazine blog post titled “Data Shows Clueless Consumers Favor 15-inch Notebooks, Ruining Market.” Yes, that’s right – for some reason the blog of a major consumer magazine decided to tell consumers they’re fucking morons.
Predictably, the post goes on to extol the virtues of small laptops. The argument relies heavily on two points. The first is portability – laptops are supposed to be portable, and small laptops are the most portable, so small laptops are obviously better. The second is screen resolution – most 15.6” laptops don’t have a higher resolution than you’ll find on a 13 or 14 inch model, so you don’t gain any usable screen real estate despite the laptop’s larger size.
Those are both solid points. There is no denying that smaller laptops offer better portability and the same display resolution as larger laptops. What Laptop Magazine fails to consider, however, is the possibility that neither point really matters to the average consumer. Actually, scratch that – this is acknowledged, and then ignored in a rather bizarre paragraph.
“Consumers are the real force behind the popularity of 15-inch notebooks. Many users don’t even think they need portability. We know that 60-percent of netbooks never leave the home, so we can only imagine how rarely consumer notebooks make it out. And because the family computer is now a notebook that travels around the house more than the globe, many consumers wrongly assume that they don’t need long battery life or light weight. They just don’t understand that, even on the couch, it’s inconvenient to be chained to an outlet or to use a system that’s too bulky to prop on your lap.”
The paragraph above immediately acknowledges the fact that most consumers don’t care about portability. The article then takes the stance that the apparent lack of concern about portability is due to the ignorance of consumers rather than the needs of consumers. This “we know better than you” approach to tech journalism is prevalent in today’s media and a huge disservice to journalism overall. It alienates readers who are not already “in the know” and fails to explore the real reasons why consumers buy 15.6” laptops.
What I find most hilarious about the article is the fact that it was apparently spurred by MSi’s decision not to release the 13 inch X360 laptop on the American market. Why anyone would mourn the passing of an MSI ultraportable is beyond me – they’ve been complete shit so far. But what do I know – it seems you’re only smart if you call everyone else a moron.
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