AnandTech, a long-established site with a reputation for reviewing CPUs and GPUs, closes its 27-year history

AnandTech, a news site that has been publishing news and reviews on hardware such as CPUs and GPUs since 1997, has announced that it will stop updating the site on August 30, 2024. According to the site's owner, Future PLC, AnandTech's previous articles will remain and management of the forum will continue.

End of the Road: An AnandTech Farewell
https://www.anandtech.com/show/21542/end-of-the-road-an-anandtech-farewell

AnandTech shuts down after 27 years - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/30/24232171/anandtech-tech-journalism-hardware

AnandTech, mainstay of computer hardware reviews, closes after 27 years | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/08/anandtech-mainstay-of-computer-hardware-reviews-closes-after-27-years/

'For better or worse, we've reached the end of a long journey that began with reviews of AMD processors and ended with reviews of AMD processors ,' said Ryan Smith , editor-in-chief of AnandTech, in the final update. 'Poetry enough, but it's also a testament to the fact that we've been doing what we love for the last 27 years, covering chips, the lifeblood of the computing industry.'

There simply isn't enough space on Twitter to say what needs to be said. I've written for AnandTech for nearly two decades, and I've enjoyed every second of it. Sadly, we've reached the end of the road. But I thank all of our readers over the years; you've made it worth it https://t.co/RBS6x09Dic

— Ryan Smith (@RyanSmithAT) August 30, 2024

Smith did not say exactly why the site was closing, but suggested it was a 'financial decision made by parent company Future PLC'.

AnandTech was founded in 1997 by Anand Lal Shimpi. Although Shimpi said he didn't have much knowledge, he had a reputation for his extensive knowledge of Arm processors and reliable reviews, and AnandTech was highly regarded as a hardware review site. In 2014, Shimpi left his job as a writer and joined Apple, where he became a member of the Apple Silicon M series development team.

Before he retired, Shimpi criticized the online media for moving away from quality, in-depth analysis to sensationalism and clickbait, leading to the 'cable TV-ization of the Internet.'' Smith said AnandTech has been trying to fight back against this 'cable TV-ization of the Internet.'

Ken Fisher, founder and editor-in-chief of IT news site Ars Technica, pointed out that the media landscape has changed dramatically since AnandTech was founded in the 1990s. 'Whatever the reason, Google no longer sends the traffic it once did, and readership culture has changed. Detailed commentary and long reviews are expensive to produce, and as a result, readership is steadily declining. Google AI Overviews summarizes content in a 'useful' way, but the return is even less,' he said.

In addition, the detailed reviews of chips that AnandTech was good at have been moving from the website to YouTube, and many YouTubers have been influenced by AnandTech and are uploading a large number of careful and detailed reviews. 'The technology journalism writing market is not what it used to be, and it will never be the same in the future. AnandTech has done its job and it is time to hand over its position to the next generation of technology journalists in the current era,' said Smith.

According to Smith, some of AnandTech's staff will be transferred to the editorial department of Tom's Hardware , a technology news site under Future PLC. Future PLC will also maintain the AnandTech website and all previously posted articles indefinitely, and will continue to operate the forums on AnandTech.

'To all the technology journalists out there, or aspiring technology journalists, I urge you to stay true to yourself and the needs of your readers. In-depth reporting is not as sexy or exciting as other outlets, but now more than ever we need quality reporting and testing to support thoughtful conclusions to counter sensationalism and cynicism,' Smith said.