Top 5 Most Overrated Consumer Tech of Today
Admittedly I’m trying to stir it up a little. Our last post was in October so I’m looking for a fight.
5. The Wii. Seriously? The only good game for the Wii is Wii Sports which comes with the system. All of the other games I have tried to get into require way to much motivation when the only time to be playing vids is during relaxation time. Admittedly, I’ve heard anectdotal evidence of major weight loss from Wii Fit, but as far as an entertainment system, it is incredibly overhyped. I prefer my active immersive experiences to be real, like outside on a real bike.
4. Ipods. I have yet to hear good quality MP3 or lossless formats that can be put on external speakers and not sound like junk. I realize that if you have it blaring in your ear via headphones you can’t tell, but I have conducted experiments with the best encoded MP3 quality over speakers at my house, with the most amateur listners. Better yet, the new iPod Nano I bought takes video… Sort of. I finally spent $60 on a cord that can connect it to my tv at the highest quality possible and the people looked alien and blurry. Ipods serve a purpose but my guess is that American spending has overhyped this product.
3. LCD- Seriously? What is the rub? What happened to plasma? The blacks and refresh rate are like 5 times better with plasma and no one seems to care that plasmas are going by the wayside for inferior, more expensive LCD screens. I demand answers!
2. 3D- Dear Cable and Dish Companies… Are you seriously considering making us wear goggles to watch football? I can think of a million other things that would make watching sports better… Like higher bit rates, currently over dish you are running 4-5 megabits per second and claiming it is “HD”. DVD is 8 mbs, Blu-ray is up to 50 mbs. You haven’t even mastered HD yet, and now your spending all of this money on a technology that will force us to buy a new TV? You can’t even deliver the goods to my TV now! C’mon Man!
1. Streaming Movies via Netflix. In theory this would be awesome. I could get Netflix Blu-rays and then while I’m waiting I can download movies in my queue to my PS3. So I signed up. Hook, line, and sinker. Number 1- the “hd” is like YouTube quality on a 58″ TV. Number 2- I’m pretty sure the only moves they have available for Streaming are available on TNT and AMC- skip it and set your DVRs folks. Weak selection. Somehow, I thought that I would have access to the entire Netflix catalog. Fail.
Keep in mind, I think some of this stuff has value… but I believe it is over valued by the consumer. Stay tuned for the Top 5 Most Underhyped Consumer Tech of Today.
5. I think Wii deserves the hype it gets. How often is there a new technology that is accessible to both young children and the elderly? The uniqueness of the system is deserving of hype in and of itself. Kudos to Nintendo for getting people like my Mom interested in gaming.
4. Agreed. I’m not so quick to rip on the MP3 format in general, as I am to rip on the iPod itself. My Samsung MP3 player can do everything the iPod can. I don’t need white ear buds to know I’m cool.
3. LCD is a fantastic alternative to plasma! Those of us who want a big flat screen without breaking the bank have embraced this technology! The difference in contrast is not that noticeable, and LCDs run on a fraction of the energy.
2. 3-D was a gimmick in the 80s and it’s a gimmick now. I won’t wear goggles to watch football either.
1. Agreed on this one too. I’d rather run down to the local Blockbuster, or wait for the disc to come in the mail to watch a movie at full resolution. I did buy that big LCD flatscreen for a reason! Watching streamed content is a big step in the wrong direction. Picture resolution is not something I’m willing to compromise.
I have to agree & disagree with some of this. I consider myself an average consumer, not a techie by far.
5. I think the Wii is great. I don’t play it, but my 4-year old and my husband do and it’s great to see them standing up playing a game rather than sitting on their butts all day passively watching a screen.
4. LOVE my iTouch. Enough said.
3. I love our plasma tv. I love the rich, crisp screen. I’ve talked to some people with LCD tvs who would prefer plasma and some who prefer LCD. It’s a personal preference.
2. 3-D? Not interested.
1. I love Netflix streaming. I play it on our plasma tv and on my computer. I don’t care that the resolution is bad. If I want to see a good movie I wait for it to come in the mail. It’s awesome for the kids and for catching up on old tv shows you missed. It’s also perfect to play on my one computer while I’m working on the other one at home. It’s not like you’re paying for this service. Mine comes included with my subscription. There’s no way I’d pay for it.