Over the past several years AnandTech has grown to be much more than just a PC hardware review site. In fact, we consider ourselves to be just as much about the new mobile world as we do about the old PC world. We leveraged our understanding of component and system architecture in bringing a deeper, more analytical look to mobile silicon and devices. As we continued to invest in our mobile coverage and expertise, we found that readers, mobile component and device makers responded quite well to our approach.
AnandTech’s focus grew, but we quickly ran into a bottleneck when it came time to monetize that mobile content. Our mobile content did a great job of helping to grow the site (as well as bring new eyeballs to our traditional PC coverage as well). While we had no issues competing with larger corporate owned sites on the content front, when it came to advertising we were at a disadvantage. Our advantage in quality allowed us to make progress, but ultimately it became a numbers game. The larger corporate owned sites could show up with a network of traffic, substantially larger than what AnandTech could deliver, and land more lucrative advertising deals than we were able to. They could then in turn fund a larger editorial operation and the cycle continues.
AnandTech has been profitable since its inception; it’s been on a great growth curve these past couple of years and we’ve always been able to do more with less, but lately there’s been an increased investment in high quality content. It wasn’t that long ago where the only type of content seeing real investment was shallow, poorly researched and ultimately very cable-TV-news-like. More recently however we’ve seen a shift. Higher quality content is being valued and some big names (both on the publishing and VC fronts) have been investing in them. Honestly we haven’t seen a world like this in probably over a decade.
Before his departure, Anand spent almost a year meeting with all of the big names in the publishing space, both traditional and new media players. The goal was to find AnandTech a home with a partner that had a sustainable business model (similar to AnandTech’s), but could add the investment and existing reach to allow the site to better realize its potential. That search led to a number of interesting potential partners; it was a refreshing experience to say the least knowing that there are groups in the world who really value good content. Ultimately that search brought AnandTech to Purch.
Purch met the requirements: they have a sustainable business model, are profitable and have the sort of reach AnandTech needs to really hit the next level. More fundamentally however, Purch’s values are in line with AnandTech’s. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that Purch acquired one of AnandTech’s biggest competitors in the late 1990s: Tom’s Hardware. Purch had already demonstrated a value for the sort of deep, long form content AnandTech was known for. In meeting with the Purch business and editorial teams, there was a clear interest in further developing AnandTech’s strengths as well as feeding back AnandTech’s learnings into the rest of the Purch family.
AnandTech and Tom’s Hardware remain editorially independent, and though no longer competitors, the goal is to learn from one another. To further invest in the areas that make us different, and together with the rest of the Purch family help to bring a higher standard of quality to the web.
The AnandTech team is staying in place and will continue to focus on existing coverage areas. We’re not changing our editorial policies or analytical approach and have no intentions of doing so. The one thing that will change is our ability to continue to grow the site. This if anything starts from the top; with a publisher to more directly handle the business of AnandTech, this frees me up to spend more time on content creation and helping the rest of our editors put together better articles. And in a hands-on business like journalism that benefit cannot be overstated.
AnandTech was an incredibly powerful force as an independent publisher, but it now joins a family whose combined traffic is eight times larger than what AnandTech was on its own. Our goal is to continue to invest in what we feel is the right approach to building high quality content; now we have an even greater ability to do just that.
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MrSpadge - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
"AnandTech and Tom’s Hardware remain editorially independent, and though no longer competitors, the goal is to learn from one another."Please, don't learn too much from them!
rickon66 - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
I love that they are using the space vacated by the much hated DailyTech to display Facebook links to stuff 8 months old. I kinda liked Daily Tech and really don't want to be reminded on how to waste the power of a GTX 780ti from back in May.Stuka87 - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
Well, hopefully this all works out for the best. As long as the current staff stays on, I have complete faith that the quality of this site will not change.I stopped going to Toms about a decade ago, but still come here 1-2 times a day.
Keep up the great work Ryan (and others) and those of us that are long time viewers will continue to enjoy this site.
hammer256 - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
Funny thing went through my head as I was reading this... "I hope it wasn't the same company that bought Tom's hardware", since I didn't know who Purch is. Then I saw, and was a bit more concerned. Hopefully this site won't go in the same trajectory as Tom's. Now mind you that Tom's still has great articles (Chris Angelini might be my favorite), but at the very least the site's presentation has gone to the pooper.So I guess we shall find out. I am hopeful that this site will keep delivering the good stuff. I don't have too many places to turn to. Actually, on that subject, what other sites do you guys recommend that has in-depth stuff?
cyberguyz - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
The quality at Tom's hardware went way downhill after they sold out to 'big business' (same owners now).I'm very much expecting the same to happen here.
It saddens me to see htis happening since it is the creators of a site that gives that site its spirit. When the site's creator leaves it int hands of others who are in it purely for the money, it diminishes to the point of becoming jut another soulless tech magazine.
No disrespect to Ryan, but Anand Al-Shimpi was Anandtech's soul. Without him and his vision, Anandtech has lost its soul. That is not something that Purch can replace.
Hulk - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
I have been there since the beginning... 1997. In a way I kind of feel like I grew up with Anand and Anandtech. More than anything it has been his passion and curiosity for computers and technology, especially processors, his ability to cut to the chase and get to what's important in an review, and to at once speak naturally and professionally that has made this site so endearing to me. I have learned so much from this site over the years...Losing Anand was like losing a friend in a way. But I told myself that is passion and style had been thoroughly ingrained into the people he hired. And more importantly he found people that had those same qualities he himself possessed so all he had to do was nurture what was already there in his new hires. That last point is especially important to the survival of the greatness of Anandtech because it's not something that will wither in time with Anand's passing. Hopefully it is an inherent quality in all who work here and will continue to work here.
I am optimistic for Anandtech. Passion, curiosity, and great writing are key. If you are going to keep the name "Anandtech" then make sure you keep the qualities that made it great in the first place.
All that being said if I start to see those adds that block out the entire screen on Anandtech I will know it's the beginning of the end.
agoyal - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
I am in the same boat, reading Anandtech and may other hardware sites since 1999. Anandtech has been my favorite and has been my number one bookmark for more than a decade. What made Anand's reviews so special were the insight he brought about the category and industry in general. I could read the first page and tell if it was written by Anand. Anand leaving was a big blow and now this. Reading the comments from the editors it seems they are still committed to Anandtech... may be there is some hope.HardwareDufus - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
Take a look at WindowsCentral.com.. (formally WPCentral.com *windows phone*). That site has Purch as an Advertsing Partner. Key difference you'll note right away is more advertising (10 different ads... as opposed to the 6 that appeared here) from very interesting vendors like Subaru and Mercedes Benz.Daniel Rubino's site is obviously Windows centered... it's a fan site of sorts... but he doesn't appear to be overly tainted.
imaheadcase - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
Maybe you can upgrade website to autofit screen sizes of users who browse it. I don't understand how websites are made with a good 4 inches of wasted space on both sides of screen. Don't get me started on the terrible color schemes used. White on black..seriously. That is just the thing i love to see when i wake up and visit popular websites..freakin bright white backgrounds on every page.The appropriately named "bluesnews" background is perfect, easy to read with nice background.
Bobberr - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
"The Most Trusted in Tech Since 1997"Now in the same boat as TH. Awesome.