I’m just picking on the Verge because I can’t log in. I think it collects a nice reader base so I “troll” in the comments. With MTF being inaccessible I need somewhere to have a prose-y way of expressing myself? Something between a chat and a blog, and a federated public space (eg., not my Facebook page).

But reading the articles, I think they at least try to point fingers at large topical areas that are relevant given the landscape of personal tech, but there is poor thought put in.

Take this one about USB-C and universal charging. As the landscape move from Micro-USB (and Lightning) to USB-C based methods, yeah, issues will happen, consumers will be bothered, so there’s space to write something. But at the same time the complaints in the articles are exactly the things why we did not have a unified standard to begin with. Once you unify the plugs, the more types of plugs, the more different use cases you have to distinguish, that used to be sorted by plug types. Yes, isn’t it cool you can charge your laptop with your Switch? Oh it’s a problem? Because people don’t know how new stuff works? Isn’t this exactly the “dumbening” at work? It’s not even growing pain as I call it, it’s about maturity of one area in which personal tech needed more support from.

Then you have tone deaf ones like this. He’s saying the small phone feels smaller, but not that much smaller. You still have to stretch to hit the top, but the S8/S8 Plus makes it easy. But the reality is anyone who opts for the smaller phone in this space are doing it 1) for the money, or 2) they want a phone that is easier to handle, or just smaller phone. The S8 Plus is not easier to handle than the S8, and he doesn’t even claim it handles the same. So what is this? It’s kind of mansplaining if you think about it. It’s the kind of dumb articles that just tells the reader “hey I have no real idea why people buy smaller phones!”

The point about the S8’s new shape and handling is well worth pointing out. They are gaming the spec sheet by changing both the aspect ratio and having no bezels. People shop by screen sizes (for some reason, thanks comparison charts and the like) and not by how phones handle (dimensions don’t tell the full story either, weight distro, surface grip, curvyness/shape all play big roles). The S8 was able to make good handling for a phone of that size screen (hope you like black bars), so the usual comparison charts fail. It’s worth pointing out. But not like this.

Sigh.