World Class 2004...and the Blooper Reel
A year's worth of products: the winning, the wearisome, and the weird.Harry McCracken is editor in chief of PC World.
Illustration by Hal Mayforth
The premise may be a no-brainer, but the process is a many-brainer. When our hallways start to sound like an episode of Crossfire, I know that World Class debate is well under way. (This year, the conversation burst beyond the walls of PC World--we asked outside experts to help us choose winners.)
As usual, an essential part of our regime consists of reviewing the past 12 months' worth of products. That helps us spot the year's biggest hits. But looking back at the best also reminds us of ways in which companies annoyed customers or failed to meet their needs. Herewith, a few notable bloopers, and thoughts about what they meant for both tech buyers and merchants.
The Blooper: TurboTax Gets Taxing. For me, the most irritating thing about taxes this year wasn't the taxes--I got a refund--but buying and using Intuit's TurboTax, a once-great program. Other PC World editors voiced similar gripes: The matrix of TurboTax versions, prices, and rebate offers has begun to feel a little like a shell game. And the program itself is pockmarked with pushy ads for other Intuit products. (At least the company did away with last year's glitchy copy protection.) The Lesson: Software developers should think twice before treating customers like revenue-generating zombies. Regrettably, these annoyances seem to come standard with financial applications--packages from Microsoft and H&R Block suffer from similar aggravations.
The Blooper: Free Speech, AOL Style. If my own AOL inbox is any sign, the mega-ISP's spam filters have become pretty darn effective. But some users have found that AOL has been trashing nonspam messages--ones it says might offend a typical user (see Consumer Watch). Hmmm--just last year, the service ran a TV ad about its stick-figure mascot's one-night stand with Sharon Stone. The Lesson: Bad taste shouldn't be a second front in the spam wars. (Full disclosure: PC World is an AOL content provider.)
The Blooper: Smart Displays Come and Go. In 2002, Microsoft began touting the Smart Display--a sort of portable satellite station for a home PC. The first units shipped in early 2003. But they were pricey and sluggish, required the business-oriented Windows XP Pro rather than XP Home, and tied up the PC. A year later, Microsoft killed the platform. The Lesson: When Microsoft (or anyone else) botches a worthwhile idea with bad execution, buyers will stay away in droves.
The Blooper: Mini-PCs Make Us Wait. According to some folks, the next big thing in PCs will be really little: tiny Windows XP portables weighing about a pound. In some alternate universe, two of these ultraportables may already be World Class winners--a unit from OQO was supposed to ship in 2002, and another from Vulcan was due in 2003. Now they'll arrive late this year...in theory. The Lesson: Don't count your technology revolutions before they're hatched.
Got any thoughts about our World Class winners? Send 'em to me at mageditor@pcworld.com. And visit Techlog, our new Weblog for updates on the good, the bad, and the just plain bizarre.