PC World - One of the Best General Purpose PC Magazines
Written: Aug 22 '03
Product Rating:
Quality of Reviews:
Pros: A Tried and True PC magazine, more articles than most other PC magazines
Cons: Newsstand price
The Bottom Line: more than a collection of ads, a real magazine dedicated to the PC world - go out and get yourself an issue and then get yourself a subscription
Arguably one of the Granddaddies of PC magazines, PC World is celebrating its 20th year of publishing this year. Hey, isn’t that almost as long as PC’s have been around? A computer guy myself since I can remember (and I’m only 26), I’ve picked up the odd issue of PC World (PCW) throughout my consumer career (let’s say from 16 on). Never had a subscription, but have regularly read it throughout the years.
PCW is a monthly magazine, average 160 to 180 pages an issue, and a subscription (from the magazine’s flyers) will run you $20 for 20 issues. You can’t really beat a buck an issue. If you purchase it at the store, it will run you $6.99 an issue. The magazine is probably divided about 60/40 in regards to articles and ads, with the articles and stories having the slight upper hand.
Why get PCW? If you’re tired of computer magazines that are merely collections of ads without much content, or you’re looking for more than a glorified price guide, PCW provides a refreshing amount of news, articles, tips, stories and helpful hints on the PC world. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the Newsweek of the computer world, but compared to other computer magazines, it’s an amazing difference.
So what do I get for my money?
Okay, okay, $6.99 is a bit steep for an issue and before this review, I don’t think I ever thought to look at how much it was (this would help to explain the large total prices at Barnes and Noble when I am there), so I would go for a subscription at $1 an issue. But either way, the magazine is a wealth of knowledge and provides plenty of useful information for the home or business computer user. It is definitely worth the $6.99 should you pick it up at the newsstand.
The magazine is directed more, I believe, at computer savvy people, both home users and professionals, who have a background of computer knowledge and are interested in the area. The magazine does not spend much time on backgrounds, but tends to delve into the issues right away – a refresher course on computers may be needed for some.
Like all magazines (or at least one’s I’ve run across), PCW is broken up into several sections including the Cover Story, Features, Top 100, Departments, Resources, News and Trends, New Products, and Here’s How.
So what do you get in the magazine?
Let’s merge a couple of these together…the Cover story is fairly self-explanatory (and if you don’t understand it, let me take you into a corner), the Features are a set of articles going over topics in the PC world, and the Top 100 is PCW’s own list of various computers and components and their ranking. This month’s issue’s cover story reviews the best free stuff that can be found on the net and the features go over portable mega storage options, pain-free windows tweaks, and a report on legislative efforts to battle spam.
The Departments section is broken up into several sections. Up Front is the Editor’s introduction to each issue, followed by the Letters to the Editor. Plugged in follows “buzzworthy” products, idea and trends. Consumer Watch usually contains 3 different sections, the first a general overview of an issue facing consumers, the 2nd looks at privacy issues and the last, helps a consumer do battle with the commercial world when things go wrong with their products. Home Office goes over topics close to, guess what, home office computer users. The Bugs and Fixes department discusses and reviews concerns about software and news about bugs and fixes out there in the software world. Finally, the Full Disclosure is the closing column (on the last page) and is focused on an issue pertinent to the technology world, this month it’s focused on things Microsoft should include in their new Windows (Longhorn).
News and Trends is a news-orientated section that reviews news and happenings in the computing world. This month they have stories on bogus printer inks, dual-format DVD drives, copy controls, 802.11 security, the new Firewire standard and the new Pocket PC operating system.
The New Products section reviews select new equipment out for the month. This month they go over tablet PCs, The Intuos2, an HP Color Laser Printer, Dell’s Latitude D400, the Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 card and the EmergeCore IT-100, among others.
And finally the Here’s How section is a collection of tips, tricks and ideas in order to keep your computer running up-to-speed. There are hardware tips (focusing on protecting data this month), Windows Tips, Step-By-Step (focusing on firewall installation this issue), Internet Tips and the Answer Line (answering questions from readers).
The Final Story
That sounds so, well, final…
I have enjoyed reading PCW throughout the years. The magazine is well organized, clearly written, and helpful to me as both a home and business computer user. The news stories are timely and interesting, the tips helpful, and the product reviews, excellent.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this magazine for any computer user with more than a passing interest in computers (that means those of us who everyone else asks the computer questions). Like I said before, it’s more than a glorified collection of ads or a buying guide, it’s a real magazine dedicated to the PC world. Go out and get yourself an issue and then get yourself a subscription (I am, now that I realize how much it is per issue at the newsstand).
Recommended:
Yes
Primary Reason for Buying: Articles Recommended For: Hobbyists/Enthusiasts
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