Announcement Introducing the Tom's Hardware Premium Beta!

[MKnott]

Welcome to the official discussion thread for the Tom's Hardware Premium beta! We're excited to have you on board and can't wait to hear your thoughts.

This thread is the dedicated space for conversations about the new Premium experience. For full information check out our launch article and FAQ, for now we want to mention a couple of key points right away:

• The forum isn't changing. Your experience here will remain exactly the same.
• Regular content isn’t moving behind a paywall. All the reviews, news, and features you love will continue to be published on our main site, just as they always have been. The content created for Premium is entirely new and developed specifically for subscribers.

To help us keep track of all your feedback, we ask that you please keep all discussions, questions, and suggestions related to the Premium beta right here in this thread. This will be the central hub for our team to gather your insights and address any points that come up.

If you encounter any technical issues or have account-specific questions, please reach out to us directly at contact@magazinesdirect.com so we can assist you promptly.

In this thread please try and share constructive feedback that helps us to improve and feel free to ask questions. As always, the main thing we'd ask is that you be respectful.

Thank you for being a part of the community and for helping shape the future of Tom's Hardware.

 

[Dementoss]

Why is there no monthly payment option, especially whilst Premium is in beta, so we cannot be certain what it will look like in the coming months?

EDIT: Is this something that is going to be rolled-out on other Future websites?

 

[Jeremy Kaplan]

We feel this is a fair price for the offering, considering the breadth of content, the new benchmark test visualization features, the specials we have planned and more. Note that this is just a beta ... Tom's Hardware is just getting started. We have loads of technical work to do behind the scenes, and we have many plans for future features, which is likely to include more pricing options down the line. THP is only going to get better.

 

[Math Geek]

What is the "normal" price going to be? Or is the introductory price not listed yet and the $69 is regular pricing?

 

[Jeremy Kaplan]

$69 is our introductory price, a discount off the planned annual price for early adopters. People who subscribe at this rate will have it for the life of their subscription, regardless of what "full" pricing is. As I said, we'll have more features, more content, more pricing models in the future.

 

[Math Geek]

Ok. So $5.75 a month (19¢ a day) to get a little bit extra, and to help support something I spend a ton of time enjoying.

I'd love a sneak peak before subscribing if possible to be sure, but more to support the site than anything else, I'd be more inclined to do it than not.

 

[helper800]

I am moving some of my suggestions, comments, and concerns here from the articles relating to premium and its release.

$69 is our introductory price, a discount off the planned annual price for early adopters. People who subscribe at this rate will have it for the life of their subscription, regardless of what "full" pricing is. As I said, we'll have more features, more content, more pricing models in the future.

Does this mean that if the normal price two years from now is 100 dollars a year, if I were to subscribe today at 69 dollars I would lock in the introductory yearly price forever as long as I continue the subscription year after year? If so, this needs to be made more clear in the articles and promotional materials. If not, sorry for the misinterpretation.

@Jeremy Kaplan, can you stake your reputation, or otherwise give your word publically, that under your watch content prior to premium will remain free and of the same depth of material going forward, not to be watered down over the years to pressure users switch to premium?

- I would love to see all articles, premium or otherwise, significantly decrease grammatical and spelling errors.
- I would also love to see Tom's take a more "accuracy first, speed second" approach to publishing their articles.
- Having sources in articles link to original data rather than just a link to another article talking about the same subject.
- I would love to see more sources to related talking points in articles that are mentioned in passing as well.
- Some method of previewing premium exclusive content. Maybe the headlines and the first paragraph or allow a newly made account have partial access to one article every X months.

@baboma did you say that there was a way to access premium without subscribing in another thread? May want to report the issue to contact@magazinesdirect.com.

 

[Hiro_Protagonist]

I am afraid your pricing is completely detached from reality.

Ars Technica $25/year (no ads)
The Verge $50/year ("Fewer, better ads")
Washington Post $40/year (1st year deal)
New York Times $4/moth (6 month deal)

I have been reading Tom's Hardware for well over a decade but there is NO WAY it is worth $69/year to me.

I agree that paywalls are better than advertising and are a necessary thing for any media site in the coming AI-slop apocalypse, but you need to be realistic in your pricing.

 

[Math Geek]

I am afraid your pricing is completely detached from reality.

Ars Technica $25/year (no ads)
The Verge $50/year ("Fewer, better ads")
Washington Post $40/year (1st year deal)
New York Times $4/moth (6 month deal)

I have been reading Tom's Hardware for well over a decade but there is NO WAY it is worth $69/year to me.

I agree that paywalls are better than advertising and are a necessary thing for any media site in the coming AI-slop apocalypse, but you need to be realistic in your pricing.

keep in mind this is NOT a paywall to everything you enjoy now. that remains the same and free (at least according to what i've seen so far).

so that $69 is for EXTRA content above and beyond what we already get. we just have to trust that this EXTRA content is worthy of the cost.

so do continue to enjoy the site for free as has always been thus far.

i do also have a bit of the concern that the free stuff will start to get watered down over time. mainly cause we've seen it so many other places.

other note, would be that i'd also like to be ad-free on the main site if i chose to pay for the premium. ALWAYS hurts my feelings to pay and then still get ads. is that something we can throw in to sweeten the pot a bit

 

[HearMyMoo]

Welcome to the official discussion thread for the Tom's Hardware Premium beta! We're excited to have you on board and can't wait to hear your thoughts.

This thread is the dedicated space for conversations about the new Premium experience. For full information check out our launch article and FAQ, for now we want to mention a couple of key points right away:

• The forum isn't changing. Your experience here will remain exactly the same.
• Regular content isn’t moving behind a paywall. All the reviews, news, and features you love will continue to be published on our main site, just as they always have been. The content created for Premium is entirely new and developed specifically for subscribers.

To help us keep track of all your feedback, we ask that you please keep all discussions, questions, and suggestions related to the Premium beta right here in this thread. This will be the central hub for our team to gather your insights and address any points that come up.

If you encounter any technical issues or have account-specific questions, please reach out to us directly at contact@magazinesdirect.com so we can assist you promptly.

In this thread please try and share constructive feedback that helps us to improve and feel free to ask questions. As always, the main thing we'd ask is that you be respectful.

Thank you for being a part of the community and for helping shape the future of Tom's Hardware.

- Copied from my comment to a different thread that has been shut down: I believe that a number of responses made in those threads are pertinent and if they cannot be merged with this new one then they deserve to be included again.

“
Sigh…

Knowing the overall ownership of TH, this will only be the thin end of the wedge to come.

Clearly the shockingly disruptive nature of adverts on webpages that have shepherded people on to adblockers has created an environment where TH et al simply can’t sustain the profit desires of their owners.

Partial blame obviously lies with those of us with adblockers, but at least an equal share lies with the carpetbomb approach of the advertising that drove us away in the first place.

I couldn’t find any mention of whether the premium TH would be advert-free, and this does actually concern me.

If I have missed it, then I would gladly be corrected, but to pay extra for something we mostly received for free (with advertorial warts) and yet still receive the advertorial warts would seem like a fabulous incentive for a competitor…?

I don’t like this idea of paywalling and I don’t believe that a time won’t come when all of the relevant TH content is behind the paywall. I don’t blame the staff of TH for this: far, far from it. I reserve my cynicism for the overall ownership and their desire to increase profit for shareholders.

TH is a useful resource with a value. Marketing departments have mostly poisoned websites with indiscriminate and disruptive advertising to render it almost entirely non-effective, so now they turn to this next method.

If I believed that overall ownership had learnt from the way website advertising has failed then I may have a more positive outlook for the future, but I I don’t, so I won’t.

Even if this ‘trial’ proves to be a success, the outcome is a greater movement of content behind the paywall, as it will have been proven to ‘work’ and provide shareholder benefit. If it doesn’t work, then one of two things will happen: the funding for TH from above will dry up, or more content will move behind the paywall anyway to coerce/incentivise users to take up subscriptions…

I support TH, but not their overall ownership.”

P.S. I have been told that adverts will still continue on the TH Premium side. Unfortunately that alone makes it a very, very hard *no*, from me to signing up. I don’t care to pay to be hot with advertising from unscrupulous and disingenuous advertisers.

In addition, a year in advance is a big ask when the final form is not yet clear. Suppose three months in the adverts are deemed too intrusive, or your quality of content is deemed not good enough, or any other reason of dissatisfaction? On shorter term subscriptions we can simply cancel and go elsewhere, but with a year upfront, it’s too late: you have our money and (from a cynic’s point of view) don’t need to worry about keeping us happy until around the time of renewal, when the inevitable short term ‘gift and discount’ ideas populate (much the same as it is with political elections).

To those who think that all the freely accessible content on TH will retain its usefulness and value: this will not be the case.

It won’t happen at first, but there is no merit to having a paywall and *not* placing your good/best content behind it.

That simply incentivises people to *not* subscribe to Premium.

The only way to coerce the ‘Will-Not’s and retain the ‘Will-Do’s is to gradually but explicitly move the good/best content to where profit can be extracted from it most effectively.

 

[HearMyMoo]

We feel this is a fair price for the offering, considering the breadth of content, the new benchmark test visualization features, the specials we have planned and more. Note that this is just a beta ... Tom's Hardware is just getting started. We have loads of technical work to do behind the scenes, and we have many plans for future features, which is likely to include more pricing options down the line. THP is only going to get better.

I dislike this contemporary trend of having to buy in to something that isnt even feature complete or as good as its ambiguously promised to be in the future. Especially with such a long term commitment being extracted. I’m sorry but I cannot help but feel that this decision (and the justifications being made) exclusively come from Future and their executives.

 

[Zerk2012]

I agree the threads should of been merged not just closed.

My post.

I suppose one can't guarantee anything. But as I said, we have never discussed doing this and have actively planned to do exactly the opposite: We have added staff, added budget, and are adding new content and features, not taking anything away.

So the people that don't pay get click bait articles and the people that pay get actual content.
Looks like the end is very near.

 

[COLGeek]

Just a note, closed threads doesn't mean those comments are gone or won't be considered.

A single thread just simplifies/consolidates the on-going, important discussion. The team appreciates the feedback.

 

[YSCCC]

I wonder if allowing advs or affiliate links will be an better option, it's much easier to swallow the extra buck going from the links purchasing from amazon than paying $100 per year, yes, that money isn't great for anyone with a constant income, but with the free contents available online like GN or Jay it's difficult to persuade new readers into the payscheme, slowly this likely kills off the follower and with even lower income the testing/review quality will inevitably drop.

Also as PC enthusiast, sometimes before paying for review will come the question "Why don't I spend that $100 into my next cooler/CPU/GPU but paying for the site?", or maybe purchase 3 new Noctua G2 fans to make it look better/quieter etc., it's unlike say, a car magazine where $100 is nothing compared to a new 911.

There's a reason why paper media is dying en masse, personally if the test and review site being similar, I would prefer a site with a dozen side Advs compared to a paywall, not only I can use the budget on my next upgrade, but also that I can refer Tom's reviews to my friends why I tell him to buy X over Y, now after a paywall that is no longer feisable.

 

[AggregatVier]

Cue the Gojira 1954 clip of the Bingo Maru sinking.

 

[KermNelson2]

I have no problem with the subscription price, but I won't volunteer for auto-renewal. Auto-renewal is a deal breaker.

 

[Mad_Ad]

[Copied from closed thread]

Seriously?!?!! Just days ago I moved my homepage from Anandtech to here and now you're putting exactly the content I came looking for behind a paywall? And no small paywall at that.

I guess I'm looking for another site to patronise. Thanks but no thanks.

[Edit addition to above]

As a tech enthusiast I am very familiar with the content and format of Toms and have visited many many times but just as a casual reader.

The more I read the responses however it seems a lot of people are focussing on the paywall bit and are missing out the other significant change, as in even as a casual reader, once you read 5 articles within 30 days EVERYTHING will be hidden unless you sign up for an account.

To me that says as well as chasing away people who can't/won't pay, they're also going to whittle down the casual people who don't feel making an account an appropriate way to consume an article, which to me sounds like shooting themselves (even more) in the foot since the majority of readers will either close the frame after the 5 article lockout, or begrudgingly make one to see the article they need while at the same time fostering bad feeling.

Then Toms won't even get the ad clicks from the casual readers like I have been for many years, is that really such a smart move?

 

[Amdlova]

$69 is our introductory price, a discount off the planned annual price for early adopters. People who subscribe at this rate will have it for the life of their subscription, regardless of what "full" pricing is. As I said, we'll have more features, more content, more pricing models in the future.

69$ + TAX = 1/3 minimum wage in brazil you guys need to make away to other countries get this new way.
I know The future PLC got lot's of mags and sites to make money... Don't kill this site like did with anandtech

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AnandTech

 

[Jame5]

I know it's arbitrary, but $69 is too much. $100 is far too much. $50 or less is the sweet spot where I consider it worthwhile.

This is from a U.S. reader's perspective. As others have pointed out, other countries this is even more outrageously priced.

 

[HearMyMoo]

[Copied from closed thread]

Seriously?!?!! Just days ago I moved my homepage from Anandtech to here and now you're putting exactly the content I came looking for behind a paywall? And no small paywall at that.

I guess I'm looking for another site to patronise. Thanks but no thanks.

[Edit addition to above]

As a tech enthusiast I am very familiar with the content and format of Toms and have visited many many times but just as a casual reader.

The more I read the responses however it seems a lot of people are focussing on the paywall bit and are missing out the other significant change, as in even as a casual reader, once you read 5 articles within 30 days EVERYTHING will be hidden unless you sign up for an account.

To me that says as well as chasing away people who can't/won't pay, they're also going to whittle down the casual people who don't feel making an account an appropriate way to consume an article, which to me sounds like shooting themselves (even more) in the foot since the majority of readers will either close the frame after the 5 article lockout, or begrudgingly make one to see the article they need while at the same time fostering bad feeling.

Then Toms won't even get the ad clicks from the casual readers like I have been for many years, is that really such a smart move?

You know what they say: if you aren’t paying for the product, then you *are* the product. Forcing an information handover by requiring an account after 5 free articles is simply making money off of you surreptitiously rather than directly charging you. I suppose the positive of the subscription is that at least then there’s no murky data-gathering third party involved, although since adverts will still be part of the ‘paid-for premium’ blag then you’ll just doubly be the product. Paying with your money *and* your data… 👍🏼

Edit: Yes, I know that in most pretend ‘enlightened’ countries there are opt-out methods and data protections but don’t try to pretend that these work in spirit. Almost every single website either makes the ‘opt out of everything’ button camouflaged or highly onerous to find, or you’re bombarded with the data collection notices (with their prominent ‘agree’ button and their teeny tiny ‘disagree’ button) so often that the temptation is there to just consent to the data gathering to make the data-molesters go away…

 

[HearMyMoo]

69$ + TAX = 1/3 minimum wage in brazil you guys need to make away to other countries get this new way.
I know The future PLC got lot's of mags and sites to make money... Don't kill this site like did with anandtech

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AnandTech

Lots of sites is one of Future’s problems. They’re saturated with publications that overlap so much that they could never generate enough individual content and following and income to survive healthily. Even just with tech-flavoured sites, how many do Future have? It just doesn’t work and buying up all the popular sites like Future have is just the precursor to eventually consolidating the portfolio and closing down numerous titles.

 

[HearMyMoo]

I know it's arbitrary, but $69 is too much. $100 is far too much. $50 or less is the sweet spot where I consider it worthwhile.

This is from a U.S. reader's perspective. As others have pointed out, other countries this is even more outrageously priced.

It demonstrates that when the suits at Future (because this isnt a TH decision) think of their market, they think of the nice rich people in the nice rich countries. The immeasurably larger rest of the world is of much less concern to a purely profit-driven executive desperate to please shareholders…

 

[Math Geek]

the more i'm looking over what is free vs what is behind the paywall, the less i like the idea and the more i agree, that most likely the freebies will be AI crapola and clickbait not too long from now, while the real stuff is gonna be paywalled.

we knew it was coming but it still hurts when it gets there. *sigh*

 

[alexbirdie]

I will see. I did read tom's for years, and short time ago I renewed my account.

But obviously everybody wants to pull money out of our bags, and everything becomes more and more expensive. Where from should normal working people take the money?

I will look, and could be, I might leave this webpage for ever. It will depend how good the rest of postings and articles will be.

 

[Thunder64]

$69 is our introductory price, a discount off the planned annual price for early adopters. People who subscribe at this rate will have it for the life of their subscription, regardless of what "full" pricing is. As I said, we'll have more features, more content, more pricing models in the future.

As of today that is not what it says. It says after the first year it will go up to $99.

This whole thing seems botched. There's inconsistant messaging. Also if you really wanted to "sell" it maybe you should have offered it to all for free for a month to see if they find value in it. The lack of monthly pricing to try it is worrisome.