Stories by Bill Snyder

  • Smartphone 'upgrade fatigue' sets in as new models disappoint

    Are you a bit disappointed with your new Apple iPhone 6 or Samsung Galaxy S6? If so, you're not alone. An analysis of more than 600,000 online reviews and comments posted by smartphone buyers during the past six months suggests consumers are jumping off the upgrade merry-go-round.

  • Consumers love Samsung, but don't trust Apple or Facebook

    Judging by its huge sales numbers and unrivaled consumer interest in its products, you'd think that no company in the tech arena was more beloved than Apple. Think again. It turns out Samsung is the "most reputable" tech company in the world, at least according to a recent survey of more than 5,000 consumers.

  • Consumers Increasingly dissatisfied with new PCs

    Are you happy with your recently-purchased computer? If not, you're in good company. Consumer satisfaction with laptops and desktops has been sliding for a couple of years now, and PCs made by Hewlett-Packard are drawing the most ire, according to the latest edition of the University of Michigan's American Consumer Satisfaction Index.

  • The tech jobs hiring boom is real -- for these skills

    It's not a myth. The technology industry is in the midst of a hiring surge stronger than any we've seen since the days of the dot-com boom. InfoWorld's interviews with economists, technology executives, job seekers, and hiring board managers indicate that <a href="http://www.infoworld.com/t/information-technology-careers/the-it-job-outlook-5-questions-answered-175265">employment in the tech sector is up</a> a solid 10 percent this year -- by some bullish estimates, closer to 20 percent. And despite the tendency of the media to fixate on California's Silicon Valley, the hottest job markets are in places like New York and Washington, D.C., where firms in financial services and the federal government hire droves of IT hands.

  • Cloud computing for consumers: The downsides

    If you read much about tech, you've undoubtedly been told by some snarky writer that if you're not headed for the cloud, you're hopelessly unhip, behind the times, and probably overweight. You know -- the cloud, that repository of all things digital contained on giant servers owned by someone else out there in cyberspace.

  • Back to school: 6 tips for not overspending on tech

    School is just about to start, and if you have a kid heading for college you're probably grimacing at the thought of all those bills. You're on your own when it comes to soaring tuition and housing costs, but there are ways to spend less on your student's technology needs while still giving them what they need to succeed.