This comes up a lot in my field: comparisons based on technical specifications. And in a field where codecs, resolutions, and chip size have enormous impact on the work being done, these comparisons are generally warranted. But what I cannot stand, and see happening more and more, is the use of numbers on paper as the sole evidence in sweeping judgements of quality or superiority. Over at the IEBA blog, there’s a post with some great pro examples of why this is so ridiculous. This post also links to the original article at highdefdigest.com, which leans more towards the home-theatre side of spec proselytizing. In either case – a failure to differentiate between “specs” and “merits.”
I could go on for days about this topic; I won’t, but I could. Just please – stop the mindless barrages of numbers, letters, and acronyms. You know who you are.