> So this latest report, in which Gene apparently just polled the families living on his block, seems beyond disingenuous. The margin of error on a group of 65 people is so high that it makes the results of the iPad vs. Galaxy Tab study all but meaningless, and further demonstrates the insidious, dangerous power of some analysts and their fantasy football stock manipulations. The moral of the story? Next time you see the names Gene and Munster in the same sentence, don’t just take the news with a grain of salt — use the whole shaker.
via [engadget.com](http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/02/55-people-think-the-ipad-is-more-valuable-than-the-galaxy-tab/)
This is what I mean by lazy statistics. Topolsky was absolutely right to point out this incredibly dubious poll by Gene Munster. It’s far from the first time this particular analyst has pulled stats out of his behind, too. But several other news agencies are repeating this statistic as if it were established fact.
Readers of my blog will no doubt know that I personally prefer the iPad to any Android device. But I don’t need a fake poll to reinforce that notion.
The moral, once again, is be wary whenever you hear someone citing ANY poll—even the ones that support what you already believe to be true. Especially those that reinforce your already established beliefs, in fact. Ask the important follow-up questions. Who conducted the poll? Whom did the poll ask? What was the poll question? Etc.
Personally, I think if you did a real poll asking a true sample of people which device they prefer, the iPad or the Galaxy Tab, 85% of the respondents would most likely say “What’s a Galaxy Tab?”
But no one is conducting that poll.
