Blog Post #3

For my model review, I chose “A New Touch for iPhone” by Walter S. Mossberg. This review appeared on The Wall Street Journal’s website on September 18, 2013. This review captured my attention with its organization, simplicity, and the fact that it’s written by Mr. Mossberg.

Historically, Mossberg reviews products and services with the same criteria I examine and often comes to similar conclusions that I come to. Recognizing this makes it relatively easy for me to read a review by Mossberg and determine if I can confidently invest in the reviewed subject or not.

In Mossberg’s piece on Apple’s recently released iPhone 5S, he explains new features in a way that makes it easy for readers with limited technical knowledge to understand. The author clearly outlines the points he will review and then proceeds to discuss them in more detail. Mr. Mossberg fluidly navigates through his content – thoughts and paragraphs flow from one into the next.

I believe there are a couple key elements that make this an effective review. The first of these elements is Walter Mossberg’s ability to connect with his readers. He makes this connection through employing his sentence, “It sounds like a gimmick, but it's a real advance, the biggest step ever in biometric authentication for everyday devices.” In this, he recognizes that some might think this Touch ID is just a gimmick and nothing actually functional or desirable, and thus connects with the more pessimistic of his audience. Mossberg also provides clear and easy to understand explanations and examples of certain technical items. This allows him to connect with the less technically-savvy of his readership.

I also feel that his organization of the review lends to the effectiveness of the piece. The author constructs his review in such a way that takes advantage of simple data – data that is concise, easy to read, and easy to digest. Clear organization of writing paired with simple data allow readers to easily obtain the information they want without having to hunt for it. This can save the reader time and frustration, therefore automatically increasing the effectiveness of the review.

Here is the intro for my critical review:

Ben Ossenfort

Professor Bolaski

English 100 (1459)

October 8, 2013

Every year since 2007, Apple has previewed and released a shiny new update of iOS, its advanced mobile operating system running on more than 450-million iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad units. In the past, updates to iOS have been relatively minor. Sure, some updates added much desired features such as the ability to send picture messages, multitask, and attach pictures to email messages. But no update fundamentally changed the way users see or interact with the operating system. That was until Apple unveiled its latest iteration, iOS 7.