Wikipedia

Tom's Hardware

Tom's Hardware is an online publication owned by Future plc and focused on technology. It was founded in 1996 by Thomas Pabst.[1] It provides articles, news, price comparisons, videos and reviews on computer hardware and high technology. The site features coverage on CPUs, motherboards, RAM, PC cases, graphic cards, display technology, power supplies and displays, storage, smartphones, tablets, gaming, consoles, and computer peripherals.

Tom's Hardware
Screenshot of Tom's Hardware showing various content
Screenshot of the website in December 2024
Type of site
Technology website
Available inEnglish, French, Italian, Russian, Turkish
OwnerPurch (Future)
Created byThomas Pabst
EditorAvram Piltch
URLtomshardware.com
LaunchedApril 1996; 28 years ago (1996-04)
Current statusActive

Tom's Hardware has a forum and featured blogs.

History

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Tom's Hardware was founded in 1996 as Tom's Hardware Guide in Canada by Thomas Pabst.[1] It started using the domain tomshardware.com in September 1997 and was followed by several foreign language versions, including Italian, French, Finnish and Russian based on franchise agreements.[2][3][4][5]

While the initial testing labs were in Germany and California,[6] much of Tom's Hardware's testing now occurs in New York and a facility in Ogden, Utah owned by its parent company. In April 2007, the site was acquired by the French company Bestofmedia Group.[7] In July 2013, that company was acquired by TechMediaNetwork, Inc.,[8] which changed its name to Purch in April 2014.[9] Purch's consumer brands, including Tom's Hardware, were acquired by Future in 2018.[10][11]

The site celebrated its 20th anniversary in May 2016.[12] Beyond continuous publication of the website, it is known for its overclocking championships and other contests.[13][14]

Editors

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Avram Piltch is the current editor-in-chief of Tom's Hardware.[15] Prior to starting the position in 2018, he worked for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag. Prior to that, John A. Burek, formerly of Computer Shopper, briefly held the role.[16]

Burek succeeded Fritz Nelson, who served from August 2014 through 2017. Other former editors-in-chief include Chris Angelini (July 2008 – July 2014), Patrick Schmid (2005–2006), David Strom (2005), Omid Rahmat (1999–2003) and founder Thomas Pabst (1996–2001).[12]

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Tom's Hardware is owned by Future plc, which also owns a number of other websites. In technology, those include Tom's Guide (formerly Gear Digest),[17] Laptop Mag and AnandTech,[18] as well as science sites like LiveScience and Space.com.

In March 2018 the German spin-off was to be closed because of the new data/privacy laws, but continued as an independent site (tomshw.de), with an exclusive license for the local usage of the brand name.[19]

In July 2019 the license was returned. After that the German CEO and editor-in-chief of the gotIT! Tech Media GmbH started a new website Igor´sLAB[20] and his own Youtube channel.[21]

Tom's Guide

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Tom's Guide (formerly known as GearDigest[22]) is an online publication owned by Future that focuses on technology, with editorial teams in the US, UK and Australia. Tom's Guide was launched in 2007 by Bestofmedia, which was subsequently acquired by TechMediaNetwork in 2013; in 2014, TechMediaNetwork changed its name to Purch, which was acquired by Future in 2018.[23] Primarily focused on news, reviews, price comparisons, how-tos and guides, Tom's Guide also features opinion articles and deals content.

The site features coverage on CPUs, motherboards, RAM, PC cases, graphic cards, display technology, displays, storage, smartphones, tablets, gaming, consoles, fitness and health, home, smart home, streaming, security and computer peripherals.

It is the second-largest consumer technology, news and review site from the US with 68.4 million visits in September 2022.[24]

History

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Tom’s Guide was originally launched as GearDigest by Bestofmedia before being re-named to Tom's Guide. The publication was subsequently acquired by TechMediaNetwork in 2013; in 2014, TechMediaNetwork changed its name to Purch, which was then acquired by Future in 2018.

While the initial testing labs were in Germany and California, much of Tom’s Guide's testing now occurs in New York and a facility in Ogden, Utah owned by its parent company, Purch.

In April 2007, the site was acquired by the French company Bestofmedia Group. In July 2013, that company was acquired by TechMediaNetwork, Inc., which changed its name to Purch in April 2014.

The site celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2022. Beyond continuous publication of the website, it is known for its annual CES awards[25] and Tom's Guide Awards[26] that are held in June and July each year.

Editors

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Mark Spoonauer is the current Global Editor-in-Chief and has been since 2013.[27] Before that, he worked as the Editor-in-Chief of Laptop Mag since 2003.[28]

Mike Prospero is the current US Editor-in-Chief alongside Managing Editors Philip Michaels, Jason England, Nick Pino and Senior Deals Editor Louis Ramirez.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Boutin, Paul (May 2001). "People: Thomas Pabst". Wired. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  2. ^ "A Brief History of Tom's Hardware | Purch". www.purch.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Ferrario, Andrea (May 6, 2013). "Tom's Hardware è cambiato, vi spieghiamo il perché". Tom's Hardware Italia. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  4. ^ "Presence PC et Tom's Hardware vont fusionner". Presence-PC. November 12, 2007. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  5. ^ Pyyny, Petteri (August 20, 2010). "AfterDawn starts publishing Tom's Hardware in Nordic countries". AfterDawn. Archived from the original on December 29, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  6. ^ "bmp beteiligt sich an Toms Hardware". AktienCheck. October 6, 1999. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  7. ^ Ali, Rafat (April 8, 2007). "IT Professionals Network Tom's Hardware Guide Sold". PaidContent. Archived from the original on November 16, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  8. ^ Brooke, Eliza (July 2, 2013). "TechMedia Network Buys Bestofmedia Group And Steps Up Content-Commerce Integration". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on December 20, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  9. ^ "Introducing Purch: The Definitive Buying Decision Platform". Market Wired. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  10. ^ "UK-Based Future Acquires Purch for $132.5 Million". Folio. July 19, 2018. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  11. ^ "Tom's Hardware". Future. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Tom's 20th Anniversary: A Retrospective With The Editors-in-Chief". Tom's Hardware. May 27, 2016. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  13. ^ "Tom's Hardware Launches First Worldwide Overclocking Championship". Bestofmedia Group. November 6, 2008. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  14. ^ "Tom's Hardware Guide and iRobot Launch Create Challenge Contest for Robot Enthusiasts". Bestofmedia Group. May 16, 2007. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  15. ^ "About Us". Tom's Hardware. January 20, 2017. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  16. ^ Purch. "New Tom's Hardware Editor in Chief Descends on Las Vegas for CES". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  17. ^ "TG Publishing LLC, a Bestofmedia Group company, Rebrands Gear Digest to Tom's Guide". Bestofmedia Group. September 18, 2007. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  18. ^ Smith, Ryan. "AnandTech Acquired By Purch". Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  19. ^ "Past, present and future of TH.de" (in German). May 13, 2018. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  20. ^ "Igor´s LAB". Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  21. ^ Igor Wallosek. "Tomshardware.de schließt und IgorsLab kommt". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
  22. ^ "Bestofmedia LLC". August 28, 2013. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  23. ^ a b "About Tom's Guide". Tom's Guide. July 28, 2022. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  24. ^ "tomsguide.com Website Traffic, Ranking, Analytics [September 2022]". Semrush. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  25. ^ updated, Tom's Guide Staff last (November 16, 2021). "Tom's Guide CES 2022 Awards: How to enter your product". Tom's Guide. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  26. ^ updated, Tom's Guide Staff last (July 22, 2022). "Tom's Guide Awards 2022: The best innovations, brands and products of the year". Tom's Guide. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  27. ^ "Pardon Our Interruption". muckrack.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  28. ^ "Articles by: Mark Spoonauer | Laptop Mag". LaptopMag. July 19, 2021. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
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