Ignore the Fanboys, Decide For Yourself What Gadget’s Worth Your Time

Google trends are a funny thing. They tell you what people are searching for, but they’re also entirely without context. So take this for what it is. If you were to Google, right now, the phrase “I want an iPad” (in quotes), you would get roughly 137,00 results, versus only 35,800 results for the whole phrase “I don’t want an iPad” (in quotes).

The interesting thing, though, is when you Google the phrase “why you want an iPad”. You get a whopping 72,000 results. More than twice as many results than for simply “I don’t want an iPad”. Like I said, they’re entirely subjective, though so let’s take a look at some of the results. “Why I want an iPad (And you will too)”, “Six Reasons You Want an iPad, Six Reasons You Don’t”, and “Why do you want an iPad?”. That last one, if you’ve spent any time engaging in meaningless debates over a product then you know can mean either “What is your reason for wanting this product?” or “What? You’re stupid. How could you possible want this product?” The internet is filled to the brim with people who want to tell you which product you should or shouldn’t buy.

When someone in a position of power tries to convince or pressure you to use a particular product, we call it bias. We say they’re getting paid to promote. They’re shills of Company X. I propose, good readers, that the truth is far less sinister and far more lame. The truth is we’re all fanboys of our products. We all love our products and would like for other people to use them. We enjoy few things more than telling people why the gadgets we like are better than the gadgets they like. Maybe we weren’t loved enough as children so we yearn for connection through the gadgets we used to fill that void. Maybe we’re just obnoxious. But for whatever reason, a huge majority of us will either insult a competitor product, or try to convince someone on the fence to come to our side.

To anyone looking to buy a gadget: ignore these people.

I have little interest in buying an iPad. I own a desktop, a laptop, and a smartphone. I’m rarely in a position where I can’t use one of these to do absolutely anything I need. And if I am in a place where at least one of these isn’t a good option, chances are I shouldn’t be using it anyways. I suffer from information overload enough as it is. I don’t need a fourth gadget giving me Twitter updates.

Maybe that’s not your situation. Maybe you only have a crappy Windows 2000 machine (dear Lord save you) and you’d like something better and more portable.  Maybe you’d like an e-reader but have been waiting for something in color and, for whatever reason, you’re willing to spend $500 on such a device. Maybe you’re an Apple nut that doesn’t care what it is. There’s plenty of situations wherein an iPad could be an ideal gadget for you. But these are the question you use to measure that:

“What do I need this gadget to do?”
“How often will I use this versus other gadgets?”
“Is there something else I already own that can do what this does? If so, what? If not, is this the best fit?”

I want a Zune HD. Hard. Honestly, I’ve hardly ever wanted a media player as badly as I’ve wanted a Zune HD. Even back when I worked as a cart pusher at Wal-Mart and a music player in one ear was the difference between sanity and hurling carts at people’s cars, I never wanted a media player more than this one. But I have a G1 if I really wanted to listen to music on the go. Moreover, typically when I’m out I’m with people. Listening to private media players in social situations is rude. When I’m driving I have my trusty old CD player (which unfortunately, can’t accept auxiliary inputs). But most importantly, the device is $200. I’ve got plenty else I could spend money on. So even though I want a Zune HD, I can’t justify the purchase.

This position is what’s known as “a rational conclusion”. If you were speaking fanboy-ese, there would only be two options:

Option A: “OMG. Zune r teh sux. F U Bill Gates!”

or

Option B: “OMGWTFBBQ! T3h Zune is t3h greatest!!! Hecks yes! Even though I have no monies, I am buying it now!!”

Don’t get me wrong. I love gadgets. I suffer from fanboyism the most with Android because, well, I just friggin’ like my phone. And ultimately, it has nothing to do with whether I want the phone to succeed, or whether I think it’s a better product. I simply want to have some friends that also have the phone so we can talk about it. That’s key, folks. Fanboyism is social. Either because you’re in the majority and want to make your club exclusive, or because you’re in the minority and want people to join in. Very few people are fanboys out of devotion to a product alone. Their arguments may be right. But the most well-adjusted people let it go and simply enjoy their gadgets.

So rather than listening to fanboys and hype for your purchase decisions, here’s what you can do instead:

1. Find a feature list – See what it can do. Fortunately, the internet, for all the fanboys out there, is not short of a few thorough writers who want nothing more than to compile a comprehensive list of features. Look for this. Google “x product features” or “x product tech specs”. You can find the info you’re looking for.
2. Read reviews — Unfortunately, the fanboys inhabit the reviews just as much as regularly helpful people. So be careful. But even if they do show up, they’ll be happy to give you real-world problems. If it sounds like a deal breaker, don’t buy it. If it’s something you can handle, keep reading.
3. Don’t ask in comment threads — Fanboys may make reviews, but they live in comment threads. If you read an article about the Boxee Box and you ask in the comments if anyone has used it or thinks it’s good, you’re not getting a rational answer. You’ll get subjective, biased, anecdotal advice that may or may not be helpful to you. Like with reviews, there’s crossover and you may find someone helpful, but don’t count on it.

When you buy a gadget that’s over about a hundred dollars, you’re choosing to make an investment. You’re deciding that hours or days worth of your work are worth this thing and, more importantly, that you’re willing to stick with this thing until you’ve got another couple hundred dollars to replace it with something else, if necessary. Phones are even worse. Most of the time you’re locked into a two-year contract with a phone. Choose wisely. And if the thought of doing research bugs you, get your nerdy friend to walk you through it. Because for some reason they love doing that.

I doubt I will be buying an iPad. I simply don’t have the money for it. It’s cool looking and I wouldn’t mind trying one out, but I just can’t justify the purchase. Maybe eventually I’ll see something about it that we haven’t seen yet to change my mind. You are allowed to do that. But for now, I’m in the “No, thanks” camp. And ultimately, that decision is my own. Not the fanboys, not the hype, not the cutesy charts or the infographics or the product pitches or the promos or the commercials. It’s my decision. And few things feel better than deciding for myself which gadget I’ll buy based on my own needs, rather than letting someone pressure me into a decision.

So go find your own gadgets. And make them your own.