According to this article:
More to the point, however, is that we can’t really trust early reviews. I always recommend caution when it comes to buying products that have just launched and I rarely take my own advice. Many devices only begin to exhibit problems after lots of use and many faulty devices pop up only after the first batch of highly scrutinized devices runs out.
[…]
In the end, the real reviews are the ones that percolate up out of the forums and blogosphere.
So, what are my thoughts on this?
- When I review a web site, I can generally tell some things just by the looks of it.
- Let’s take Gmail: If I have been using Gmail for quite a while, I know what its major flaws are. On the other hand, if I look with the reviewer’s eyes, I may find problems which are not that important to the daily user.
- When I analyze design & copywriting, I can make good judgments, based on what I can see on a product.
- When I look at programming & information architecture & interactions, I should take more time for a review.