For one thing , put together the level gives us a probability to look back on the products we ’ve covered over the retiring class . This twelvemonth , as always , I was struck by the continued profoundness , width , and life force of the Mac marketplace . Sure , Apple had a big year ( something about an Intel chip ) . But so didHP , Nikon , Panasonic , Logitech , andAdobe . And , as always , smaller developers — perennial likeRogue AmoebaandShirt Pocketas well as neophyte likeTabula Digita — had their place mightily next to those established giant .
In Eddys past , we picked winner ( and sometimes runner - up ) in a clustering of different Cartesian product categories ( Best Printer , Best Monitor , and so forth . ) . A couple of years ago , we decided to drop that in favour of an open competition : Whichever product stood out for timbre , utility , innovation , value , or just overall excellency would be considered . And so we have two background Macs , two camera , one printer , and no monitor ( an LCD is an LCD , we decided this year ) .
Getting disembarrass of those family also makes it easier to acknowledge products that might have accrue through the cracks otherwise . severely - to - pigeon - hole products such as Micromat ’s TechTool Protégé , Line 6 ’s TonePort UX2 , and Pantone ’s huey , for illustration , would probably have been overlook .
But my favorite thing about the Eddys is the style we produce . It ’s in truth a group campaign involving the entireMacworldeditorial team . Starting back in September , we meet to nominate products , consider their respective merits , and winnow the list . In the procedure , we get a chance — all too rare , given our officious employment schedules — to have a spirited discussion about the Mac and how it ’s doing . There ’s all kinds of experience and expertness on theMacworldstaff , and the Eddys is a dandy showcase for both .
Which is not to say our listing is the final say on the matter . Take a look at our choices and permit me recognize : What did we miss ? Which products do you think should have been winners ?
