Personal-technology columnist, Wall Street Journal AGE 51 E-MAIL mossberg@wsj.com BIO "Personal computers are just too hard to
use, and it isn't your fault." This opening line from Mossberg's
debut column on Oct. 17, 1991, set the tone for the straight talk
readers would come to expect and product marketers would learn to
fear. At a time when most computer journalism reverently paid
homage to the silicon god, Mossberg became the most influential
computer journalist in part because he was writing for the most
important business publication in the country, but also because
he was a fair critic. "Lots of other papers had columns written
for geeks, by geeks," says Mossberg, a 29-year veteran at the
Journal. "You had this whole class of techno elite who thought
you had to know the secret handshake." Throughout the years he
has railed against everything from push technology to overpriced
digital cameras, while praising Apple's new iMac and suggesting
alternatives to browsers from Netscape and Microsoft. His
no-nonsense prose won't win any style awards, but its readability
earns it a gold medal. 1998 POWER PLAY Mossberg's power comes not
from any single opinion or stunning career move, but from simply
staying the course. By refusing to lower his standards, he has
helped push the industry to make products easier to use. PLACE YOUR BETS Savvy investors would do well to check Mossberg's
opinion on new products and promising companies before laying
down any cash.
