John
Coming up. Not Brit-rocking Suede’s third album but a paradoxical nod to the future where news items wouldn’t be news were we to announce them in advance. Still, the Internet generates a furious thirst among readers for more intel: “Do you know if Brand A is working on Product X?”; “When is Product X coming?”.
If I’ve no idea, the answer to such questions is easy: “I don’t know”.
However, even if I do know, the answer is still: “I don’t know”.
To say anything else would be to betray a manufacturer’s trust, which could jeopardise receipt of future press releases and – worse – review loaners. And not just for Brand A but for Brands B and C. The hi-fi world is small and few manufacturers will trust in a correspondent shooting his mouth off to readers about forthcoming products.
A product is announced when it is announced by the manufacturer. Until that point, readers seeking the inside word will always be met with the same three-word response: I don’t know.
Review coverage is (mostly) different. Reviews scheduled to appear among these pages in the near future are listed here. The schedule is specified to a three-month window to avoid reader disappointment should it slip. Often we don’t know of a product’s complexity until it arrives; or where the review process might take us, especially with comparisons to other gear. Reviews are ready when they are ready. And if a product isn’t listed as coming soon, it’s review isn’t coming anytime soon.
Further information: Coming Soon
