Computer Ads - more like!! (Computer Shopper)

Name: jaybee

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Product:	Computer Shopper
Date:	25/02/01 (161 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good info for first time buyers

Disadvantages: Too many adverts

I’d picked up a copy of this magazine for the first time, around a year ago when I was looking to buy a new PC, and I’d never bought a copy again as I must admit I wasn’t very impressed.

This Christmas however someone actually bought me a subscription to the magazine as a present and after reading it on a regular basis I’m afraid I’m still pretty unimpressed.

Why am I unimpressed?

Well let me start off by telling you the good things about the magazine first, for it definitely has some good points.

The magazine is printed monthly and costs £2.75 this compares very favourably with similar types of magazine on the market. Each issue has around 500 pages plus you get two free software CD’s. One CD normally contains demos of new games and music by new bands. The other contains at least one full free program –if not more – plus some shareware. These are normally pretty good and are a bit better than a lot of the others I’ve seen, as they tend not to be clipart and route finders, but things like web page builders, utilities and some business programs, like accounts etc.

The articles are well written, informative – if sometimes a little too technical for my liking- and the format normally makes them pretty easy to follow. Although sometimes I would like to see more of the articles written as step-by-step guides as I personally find that for someone like myself who has limited knowledge, these are the best way for me to learn how to do something.

The magazine also contains features you’ll find in most of the other computer magazines around. Pages containing software reviews, product comparisons, features on Operating systems, Linux, Palms etc. and an extensive news section (15-20 pages) that looks at new products and gadgets. The magazine also contains tips/helpfile pages that look at a specific item every month. Letters pages and buying advice make up t
he rest of the magazine.

There is also a free supplement called Internet Shopper. It’s a guide to th ebest of the web. Each month this covers websites on shopping or on certain areas of interest. This month it looks at gardening sites online, and there is also a good feature on learning courses /distance learning that are available online. I think this supplement contains far more informative articles and information than than magazine itself, and it’s not filled with adverts either, which is a bonus.

All sounds pretty good doesn’t it … so why am I unimpressed?

Well mainly because this magazine falls down in the most important area as far as I’m concerned and that is content. Not in how it’s written or presented, as I’ve said this is well done, but there just isn’t enough of these articles in the magazine. The bulk of this magazine consists of adverts.

Of the 500 or so pages in the latest edition 300 were adverts. These are not pages that have some advertising on them; these are complete pages wholly given over to adverts. Now I know they have to have advertising to keep the costs down and to pay peoples wages, but I think the number of adverts are excessive. I realise the basic format of this magazine is to inform the readers of the best options available to them in buying hardware software etc, but I think it could be presented better rather than just adverts.

The comparisons could be done through more written features. In this month’s magazine they have an excellent feature on monitors and what’s the best value for money. I think there should be more of these. There is normally two or three in an issue, but I don’t think that’s enough.

This magazine would be great if you were into building your own PC or things like that, because there are plenty of adverts for components in here,and a lot of options for you to look at. It would also be e
xtremely useful for someone buying a PC for the first time, or maybe someone looking to upgrade or buy some peripherals, as the comparison features it runs are really informative.

But for anyone looking for a general computer mag, I think there are others out there that cover a wider area of interest. For techies I think this magazine would be ideal as some of the articles are pretty technical, but Computer Shopper isn’t for me I’m afraid. If someone hadn’t bought me a subscription, then there’s no way I’d buy this magazine. I really can’t see how they can justify sixty percent of the magazine being adverts

Summary: