I received in yesterday’s mail delivery my subscription renewal for PC World. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to review the product myself and decide whether or not to continue the subscription.
I am, in general, leery of any computer magazine. I don’t think they are particularly well written, I find them to be for the most part uninformative, and I find the publishers to be classless when they charge a subscription fee yet the place the magazine on the Internet for free for the world to read.
PC World is certainly one of the most useful of the computer magazines I have come across. It doesn’t make the assumption the reader is an idiot when it comes to computers. It assumes the reader has a rudimentary knowledge of the subject matter. This leads, in my opinion to far less cringing when I read things, and leads me to actually read the article at hand because it is written at a somewhat intelligent level.
I think PC World is more timely than other publications. It covers topics of interest rather than just goodies coming out in the industry. If I look at the February 2000 issue, they have a consumer alert article regarding DSL and cable Internet access systems. I have been considering upgrading to either DSL or cable, but this article has me reconsidering staying with Earthlink Networks 56k service, which I find to be awesome (see my review). The feature article is “75 Ways to Destroy Bugs and Viruses Before They Destroy You.” They include articles on the best anti-virus software (Norton wins again – and again, see my review), tips and tricks for protecting your computer, and fixes for various windows and browser bugs.
The February 2000 issue also covers various Income Tax Preparation programs, with plenty of time left before April 15th.
I like how PC World compares ten products together and picks the best of the bunch. I’ve seen them cover sound cards, modems, graphics boards, hard drives, DVD-players, and removable storage devices (CD R/W, Zip, SparQuest, Orb, etc.). They give the pros and cons of each product in the category, along with the price, and a website to get more information.
I like how PC World covers cutting-edge technology and computer news. They discuss the ongoing problems with Microsoft and the federal government lawsuit. They cover news on AMD’s and Intel’s newest and fastest chipsets, and give the consumer the pros and cons of these chipsets, and discuss who should upgrade versus who shouldn’t bother. I enjoy these articles, because I’m tired of magazines just telling me, “Wow the new AMD Athalon is the best chipset ever” but fails to tell me that it isn’t worth my time upgrading because… (place the reason here).
I like the Top 100 List. This is a section where they discuss ten different Top 10 products in various categories. The lists are updated monthly, based on latest reviews and technologies, versus price drops.
I like the “Here’s How” section of the magazine, which teaches the reader Windows tricks, Internet tricks, world processing tips, upgrading tips, etc. I find this very useful, even though I know most of the tricks. Again, this isn’t written at the lowest-common denominator, they do assume you have basic computer skills.
Now that I’ve listed all the pros for PC World, I’m sure you’re waiting to hear my pans on the magazine.
As usual, with most magazines, those dreaded 3x5-subscription cards fall into my lap. This magazine has so many I am picking them up off the ground when I pull the magazine out of the mailbox. I’d hate to see the inside of the Post Office truck at the end of magazine delivery day. I’m sure the reason I get a new letter carrier about once a month is that the last one has died in an avalanche of 3x5-subscription cards.
As usual, with most magazines, they oversell their ad space. I’ll give PC World credit – they don’t even begin to approach what PC Magazine has the gall to do. I can usually read a multi-page article and finish it with only one or two “commercial” interruptions. However, the magazine is a pain to navigate because of all the full-page advertisements.
What is my final complaint? If you go to www.pcworld.com, you will find this magazine on-line. The only advantage to subscribing is you get the magazine before the website does – by about two weeks.
Although I do really enjoy this magazine, due to the final complaint, I will not be renewing my subscription to PC World. Instead, I will be patient, and wait the additional two weeks and read the magazine for free. This way, I only have to deal with banner ads instead of full-page advertisements. I just can’t see wasting good money to get a magazine two weeks before anyone else.
Recommended:
Yes
Primary Reason for Buying: Articles Recommended For: Anyone
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