I didn't mind that much. For example when IBM introduced their Micro Channel Architecture, the "reviews" of machines such as the PS/2 Model 80 were pretty much matter of fact, explaining the technical details and with some decent photos. And this was still useful in pre-WWW times and even beyond.

That's alright. Byte's articles aimed more at connecting the state of the art, both academic and commercial, to actual problems being solved. You didn't read Byte for first-hand review of products but for insights on the computing world as a whole.