It's Time for PCWorld to Change Its Name

After how many mac articles there on this website and stuff to do with apple I feel I no longer have reason to visit this site because it not about pc and windows. So i many quit after about 2 years of reading articles and few months of being a member.

Don't be foolish. PCWorld is an international brand. Nothing you can choose to make yourself more "relevant" will supercede the damage you inflict by losing the PCWorld brand. Nothing. You do this at your extreme peril. This is a "bet the company" decision... and I'd be happy to bet against you on this one.

I really ahve grown fond of the name PCWorld, and if you HAD to change it, I thing OSWorld would be appropiate

Oh brave heart - you are following on this one - PCWeek did this years ago ~98 or 99 - they went to eWeek. Hmmm, you be the judge if it was worth it. New names can grow stale as well. FYI,, there are great potential brand names, eWorld and OSWorld, not so much.

Why change a good thing. Leave it alone. Some things have no need of change!! PCWorld is one of those things. Name changing can really backfire on a company. Think long and hard before you decide.

I would stick with PC World. Most of the technology covered is related to Personal Computers so I think the name is still relevent.

I would stick with PCWorld or if you really want to change it shorten it to PCW.

You might as well just call it MAC world since you guys seem to be so in love with macs and so anti PC, even though the PC still has a huge market share. With that said, just create alternate sites for Linux and macs, how hard is that?

"PC" = Personal Computer; that is, a computer, for personal use. PCs include desktops, laptops, ULCPCs, PDAs, smart phones, etc.

The name is, however, OS-agnostic. Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems all can fall into this category. Thus, the "PCWorld" name is apropos.

Perhaps bring Macworld and Linux world all under the same "PCWorld" banner, rather than reprinting (often without cross-linking, I might add - all of those "excellent, interesting and useful Mac articles" are simply macworld.com reprints) articles from those other sites.

Apparently, the only thing that really needs to change (both with the PCWorld leadership, and, apparently, Mac users) is the perception that "PC" equals "Windows."

Changing the "PCWorld" name will do absolutely nothing to change that perception.

Really thoughtful comments from our always impressive readers and friends. We've been through several moments here of considering a name change. Personally, I've long been against it, as has our EIC, Harry McCracken. Mostly for the reasons Chip outlines above.

PC World actually IS an international brand and used by our sister sites and publications all over the world. But one always does have to consider changing times and attitudes. The publishing biz is rife with disasters involving name changes, so it's definitely not something you do lightly.

That said, Phil's original post is extremely well-done and thought out. My compliments to the chef!

Bud McLeod
Editor, PCworld.com

Mr Gates of Microsoft did not invent the term Personal Computer -PC,
that was IBM who built the first one and made it popular.
IBM employed MS to provide an operating system for it-which he did after purchasing DOS from the man who developed it.

I write this on a Linux PC , it has been an Ubuntu PC since 29 /4/08

Why cover macs, that is what MacWorld does, you guys cover stories from them and reuters anyways. Keep the name, you aren't WindowsWorld, you can cover everything. You said in the story: PC doesn't define the operating system anymore so if you are covering all OS's the KEEP PCWORLD!

I recall a time when you had to specify whether a PC was IBM compatible or not. I remember that the first computers we referred to as "Personal Computers" ran on Z80 processors and often came in kit form. Windows, much less MS-DOS, was not even a dream in young Mr. Gates mind. It wasn't until the advent of the IBM MicroChannel architecture that the industry began substituting "PC Compatible" for "IBM compatible". The association of PCWorld with Windows computing is a function of marketing. Surely, some good marketing would allow a widely recognized and respected name like PCWorld to be associated with the OS agnostic audience you are reaching for. I vote to leave the name as it is.

I understand your good intentions. However, changing your name from PCWorld makes about as much sense as changing the name of a country or a city. We all know how many problems that creates. So, please do us all a favor and forget it!

I don't think we should change our name either. But I'm curious whether anyone thinks it somehow keeps us from being considered a credible source of information on other technology products we cover -- e.g., cell phones, HDTVs, etc.....

By the way, I don't understand the people who don't want to see coverage of Apple products here. I'm pretty sure a lot of iPhone and iPod owners also own Windows PCs. I personally am in a mixed marriage: My husband has an iMac, I have a Windows notebook.

Yardena Arar
Senior Editor, PC World, and proud of it!

PCWorld is a better name now than ever!!!! Now that the Mac runs on Intel machines, which make up most of the PCs in the world, PCWorld is PERFECT!

If you change it, you'll be alot like Gateway, who changed their name from Gateway 2000 just before the year 2000. In my opinion, the 2000 hype could only have helped them. But, what if they took some initiative, and instead of changing their name. said that their machines were year 2000 compliant before anyone else. And that they would help you get that way! That's the way to build on a name instead of throwing it away!

You should just make sure you cover anything that has to do with Personal Computers. People will find you if you are good. Changing your name will be a killer. Ask Gateway.