Consumer reports Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Consumer Reports' Mobile Shopper a mixed bag

by Mel Martin (Oct 19th, 2010)

This is the second foray into iPhone territory by Consumer Reports. The first app pretty much duplicated the currently-available online content, and was free. This second app, called Consumer Reports Mobile Shopper is US $9.99, and puts the impeccable brand and product reviews in a more iOS-specific ...

Nation rejoices as Consumer Reports fixes crashing iPhone app

by Mel Martin (Sep 30th, 2010)

It took about a month but now you can fearlessly click on some of the news headings in the free Consumer Reports app and not have it crash. A couple of weeks ago we reported that the app was unstable after an iOS 4 update. As weeks went by, the app was not updated and had more crashes and explosions ...

Consumer Reports app 'not recommended'

by Mel Martin (Sep 17th, 2010)

You'd think that Consumer Reports, judges of all things good and bad in autos, electronics, frozen food, etc. (not to mention smartphones) could get its own app right. After a late August update, the free app has more crashes than a bad day at the Indy 500. Want to see the problem? Just tap on ...

Consumer Reports still a 'thumbs down' on iPhone 4

by Mel Martin (Jul 16th, 2010)

Not a big surprise really, but Consumer Reports still says that even with a free case, the iPhone 4 is a no-go to get a recommendation from the giant consumer testing firm. Last week CR created a furor when it said the iPhone was the best smart phone it had tested, but didn't meet its standards for ...

Chuck Schumer writes open letter to Steve Jobs

by Mike Schramm (Jul 16th, 2010)

Just in case you missed it yesterday, US Senator Chuck Schumer wrote an open letter to Steve Jobs asking him to deal with the ongoing iPhone 4 reception issues. "To address this concern," Schumer wrote, "I ask that Apple provide iPhone 4 customers with a clearly written explanation of the cause of ...

Consumer Reports: Apple's Bumper fixes iPhone 4 antenna issue

by Steven Sande (Jul 15th, 2010)

The organization's report stated that "With the Bumper fitted, we repeated the test procedure, placing a finger on the Bumper at the point at which it covers the gap below. The result was a negligible drop in signal strength - so slight that it would not have any effect, in our judgment." Consumer ...

Apple drops Consumer Reports/iPhone 4 threads down memory hole [updated]

by TJ Luoma (Jul 12th, 2010)

Update 3pm Tuesday:Wired's Epicenter blog points to at least two threads referencing the CR story that have been left intact. Perhaps an overzealous forum manager has now reined in the urge? If you were looking for a message thread on Apple's support forums pointing to Consumer Reports' article ...

Consumer Reports now 'can't recommend' the iPhone 4

by Mel Martin (Jul 12th, 2010)

After a recent positive blog post stating that the iPhone 4 reception issues were not something that should prevent someone from buying the new iPhone, the nationwide testing firm has now changed its mind and given a thumbs down to Apple's latest efforts. In lab tests, Consumer Reports says the ...

Consumer Reports discovers iPad charging issues

by Megan Lavey-Heaton (Apr 3rd, 2010)

Consumer Reports has discovered that thus far, iPads can not be recharged using the USB ports on any non-Apple computer. The places where the iPad did charge, in their tests, included an iMac and a MacBook Pro. The iPad would not charge using any USB ports on several Windows machines, nor through ...

Apple tops Consumer Reports' tech support survey, second place not even close

by Dave Caolo (Mar 11th, 2010)

On Wednesday, Consumer Reports published the results of its latest tech support survey. Apple was on top for both laptops and desktops, well ahead of the company in second place. Consumer Reports asked 7,000 subscribers about their satisfaction with their computer companies across categories like ...

AT&T ranked last in cellphone service survey

by Dave Caolo (Dec 1st, 2009)

There's bad news for AT&T in a recent customer satisfaction poll. Consumer Reports asked 50,000 readers across 26 U.S. cities to rank cell service providers on a variety of scales. Verizon came out ahead in 19 of the 26 cities. AT&T was dead last. Dropped calls and voice service were ...

Consumer Reports still hearts Macs

by Mel Martin (May 5th, 2009)

Consumer Reports continues to shower praise on all things Apple it seems. In a report in the June issue, the Magazine says Apple won the top three places in the 13 inch laptop derby. The unibody MacBook was in first place, followed by the MacBook Air, with the white plastic MacBook in a solid third ...

Verdict on Consumer Reports iPhone app: Helpful but incomplete

by Mel Martin (Apr 13th, 2009)

I enjoy Consumer Reports magazine, even though sometimes the camera and electronics reviews drive me crazy. The ratings seem sometimes arbitrary, and don't always take what I think are the 'right' features into account and don't weigh those features the same way I would. Nevertheless, I find their ...