I read a troubling article today suggesting that a plastic mock-up containing a printed-on screen and no electronics was a product. With that in mind, let’s clarify what wording should be used in this situation:

  • “make-believe:” a thing that doesn’t work, has a simulated screen, or contains no electronics.
  • “pretended:” unveiling a make-believe product
  • “playing with toys:” hands-on “usage” of a make-believe product 

For example:

Wrong:

We just got to spend some quality time with ASUS’ newly unveiled Padfone and you can see the smartphone that doubles up as a tablet on video after the break.

Right:

We just got to have playtime with ASUS’s newly pretended Padfone and you can see the make-believe smartphone that doubles up as a make-believe tablet on video of us playing with plastic toys after the break.

Thanks for your cooperation.