Good Comparisons are Hard Work
Back when I was in Product Management, it was my job to know and understand the competition. That meant understanding other vendors products, their strengths and weaknesses, as well as how they 'compared' to my product. That last part about comparing, was possibly the most difficult part. We've all heard the phrase "Apples to Oranges", well in some cases that couldn't be a more fitting description.
Take two products with different feature sets, and then tell me which one is better, faster, or easier to use. Anyone who has ever done a product comparison before, knows how difficult this can be - whether it's a computer, car, or lawn mower, the process is usually the same. Difficult, but not impossible. You read through reviews, you try it out yourself, you compare specs, you do your homework. The key is, you have to have a wide variety of inputs (including your own). If you rely on only the specs, or only one person's review, you're not getting the full story.
I don't think you should ever consider a manufacturer's claim to be 'truth'. That's not to say that manufacturer's are in the habit of lying. Let me explain... If you built product X, and want to compare it against product Y - are you going to put as much time into configuring product Y as you did your own? Better yet, do you have the same expert knowledge of product Y as you do your own? Chances are the answer is no. Because of this, you should always look at the full parameters of any comparison and try to understand what the results actually mean. A comparison may show product A is faster than product B, but under what circumstances? And does comparison even fit your usage scenario? If the full specs of a comparison are not published, it would be presumptuous to simply believe the results.
Reviews are a great way to get opinions on a product, but be sure to get a wide sampling and understand the reviewers comments. For instance, a reviewer may make a comment that a product is easy or hard to use. Without any context, this claim isn't very valuable. A well written review should describe a particular action or set of actions, and comment on the results/experience. In today's world of forums and social networking sites, everyone has the ability to share an opinion. The most useful reviews contain the facts that back up the feelings, and match YOUR usage scenario.
So which is better, the Apple or the Orange? I think you already know the answer (hopefully you do, because I don't). The point is that in the end - it's up to you. You've read the manufacturers claims, you've looked at the relevant reviews, and you've tried it out for yourself. No one else can tell you whether or not you liked it, and no one else knows your requirements (besides your boss, but (s)he's not going to do the leg work... :) )
So whether you're reading or writing a review/comparison, be sure to remember these tips.
You might be wondering "why the off topic post?" To tell you the truth, this was a bit of a rant based on the number of inaccurate comparisons I read every day. Some related to NetAdvantage, and others related to products that I use or know of. I don't know about you, but I can't help but point out the inaccuracies to my wife (or whoever is unlucky enough to be next to me) when watching TV commercials, info-mercials, or even the evening news! I'm not sure it will ever stop, but hopefully people will get better at identifying the 'spin'.