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How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

cultofmac.com

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Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#41

Post by coldtea »

neya wrote: post #19

Apple has a long history of manipulating the press in other ways too.[1][2] So, this doesn't really surprise me. [1] http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/apple-prs-dirty-little-secre... [2] http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/how_apple_does_contro...

Controlled leaks and a blacklist. Isn't this what EVERY company on earth does?

Also: it's not a blacklist as he describes it. It's a WHITE-list, since there are people (like Grubber or Pogue I guess) that get stuff earlier.

It's not like Apple people give interviews etc to anyone -- so it's not like there's a blacklist of people not getting access.

There's just a whitelist of people having early access. I've seen this from MS, Adobe, Google, Canon and generally tons of other companies.

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#42

Post by rpdillon »

dxm wrote: post #4

Gosh. If I could laugh I would have been doubled over. Does the author really think that Apple put this much thought into not letting certain journalists into new coverage. This is pretty much a thought of a conspiracy theorist, Apple surely doesn't think about communist conspiracies from the 1940s, they merely think you're either a bad journalist or one who is consistently unfair. The detail in which the linked arti…

If there is one tech company today that is obsessed with managing its PR, from every angle, it has to be Apple. I don't find it far-fetched at all the Apple has put a lot of thought into how to get early favorable reviews from big media. It's the same reason they basically invented the modern theatrical press event: a huge part of what they sell is an image. Managing that image is paramount to their business.

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#43

Post by vinceguidry »

jmspring wrote: post #38
chadwickthebold wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Further down... "It needs to be said, of course, that comparisons between, say, McCarthyism and Apple’s PR strategy are absurd. I make them here only to illustrate the history and purpose of blacklisting."

"It needs to be said..." After spending several paragraphs mentioning the most egregious black list example in US history. Sorry, but "this is just an illustration" is just a cop out given the example was there to set a particular tone. The article could have been written without the extremes of prior examples.

The longer you read the article, the further and further he gets from accusing Apple of anything, really. He's quick to point out that the blacklist tactic shouldn't affect how you see the tech press. Towards the end he admits that the difference between a whitelisted journalist and a blacklisted one is practically nil.

Read between the lines and you see it's just a matter of status and pride. You get one kind by being on the blacklist and another by being on the whitelist. The author is clear which side he'd rather be on.

And that's the real point of the article. To show off how 'independent' he is by daring to compare Apple to Joseph McCarthy.

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#44

Post by tptacek »

nknighthb wrote: post #27
chrismonsanto wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is OnSwipe and why is it so bad? Never heard of it until now. I'm not even sure what it is from the front page of their website.

A shitty, laggy, memory-eating UI for mobile/touchscreen devices that people who have absolutely never used a tablet put on their websites thinking it makes them cool. In reality, it is a sort of reverse-DDoS on mobile web users. I assume it's really a secret plot by Microsoft to make the mobile web unusable and drive everybody back to PCs where they're still semi-competitive.

Ok, now, can someone demonstrate some insight and/or thoughtfulness by explaining what OnSwipe is supposed to be? Their offices are next door to ours at Union Square, and the people that work there do not appear to be assholes hell-bent on ruining your mobile browsing experience.

I'm not sticking up for OnSwipe, but this litany of "OnSwipe is evil" has become something of a religious ritual on HN, and for once I'd like to see if we can do better than a mindless chant.

What do we think the people who work at OnSwipe are setting out to do?

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#45

Post by FireBeyond »

pg wrote: post #32

In every field there are dishonest people you want to avoid dealing with. So I'm sure every company more than about a year or two old has encountered reporters they'd never want to talk to again, beyond things like press releases that go to everyone.

There's a bit more to it than that. Apple blacklists reporters and publications that are -critical-, not (just) dishonest.

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#46

Post by jmspring »

vinceguidry wrote: post #43
jmspring wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"It needs to be said..." After spending several paragraphs mentioning the most egregious black list example in US history. Sorry, but "this is just an illustration" is just a cop out given the example was there to set a particular tone. The article could have been written without the extremes of prior examples.

The longer you read the article, the further and further he gets from accusing Apple of anything, really. He's quick to point out that the blacklist tactic shouldn't affect how you see the tech press. Towards the end he admits that the difference between a whitelisted journalist and a blacklisted one is practically nil. Read between the lines and you see it's just a matter of status and pride. You get one kind by bei…

I caught a bit of the same, it felt like the introductory paragraphs were really meant for sensationalism and to create some buzz, which probably worked.

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#47

Post by nknighthb »

tptacek wrote: post #44
nknighthb wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A shitty, laggy, memory-eating UI for mobile/touchscreen devices that people who have absolutely never used a tablet put on their websites thinking it makes them cool. In reality, it is a sort of reverse-DDoS on mobile web users. I assume it's really a secret plot by Microsoft to make the mobile web unusable and drive everybody back to PCs where they're still semi-competitive.

Ok, now, can someone demonstrate some insight and/or thoughtfulness by explaining what OnSwipe is supposed to be ? Their offices are next door to ours at Union Square, and the people that work there do not appear to be assholes hell-bent on ruining your mobile browsing experience. I'm not sticking up for OnSwipe, but this litany of "OnSwipe is evil" has become something of a religious ritual on HN, and for once I'd l…

Your question is mindless. We all know what OnSwipe is supposed to be. It's sufficiently obvious as to need no explanation.

If you care that much about getting deeper insight into how yet another horrible, misguided product came to foul the market with its stench, why don't you walk next door and investigate instead of doing your old man yells at clouds routine? You're obviously both better-equipped and better-motivated than the rest of us to get answers. If that's not enough to make you do it, don't expect anyone else to do it for you.

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#48

Post by sillysaurus2 »

nknighthb wrote: post #47
tptacek wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok, now, can someone demonstrate some insight and/or thoughtfulness by explaining what OnSwipe is supposed to be ? Their offices are next door to ours at Union Square, and the people that work there do not appear to be assholes hell-bent on ruining your mobile browsing experience. I'm not sticking up for OnSwipe, but this litany of "OnSwipe is evil" has become something of a religious ritual on HN, and for once I'd l…

Your question is mindless. We all know what OnSwipe is supposed to be. It's sufficiently obvious as to need no explanation. If you care that much about getting deeper insight into how yet another horrible, misguided product came to foul the market with its stench, why don't you walk next door and investigate instead of doing your old man yells at clouds routine? You're obviously both better-equipped and better-motiva…

Why be an asshole? Write your comments for the readers of HN, not for whomever you're replying to.

I have no idea what OnSwipe is supposed to be. It's not obvious at all.

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#49

Post by nknighthb »

sillysaurus2 wrote: post #48
nknighthb wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your question is mindless. We all know what OnSwipe is supposed to be. It's sufficiently obvious as to need no explanation. If you care that much about getting deeper insight into how yet another horrible, misguided product came to foul the market with its stench, why don't you walk next door and investigate instead of doing your old man yells at clouds routine? You're obviously both better-equipped and better-motiva…

Why be an asshole? Write your comments for the readers of HN, not for whomever you're replying to. I have no idea what OnSwipe is supposed to be. It's not obvious at all.

> Why be an asshole?

In my opinion, I am not an asshole, but at least one other person in this thread certainly is. Why ask this question? Has my answer contributed anything of value? Were you expecting it to?

> Write your comments for the readers of HN, not for whomever you're replying to.

Do as you say, not as you do?

> I have no idea what OnSwipe is supposed to be. It's not obvious at all.

It's a UI for mobile/touchscreen devices. I even stated as much in my original comment, and I reject the notion that it is non-obvious.

Every time you encounter a crappy example of a product category, do you ask what the product is supposed to be? What answer are you even expecting? "This is really bad spaghetti." "OK, but what is it supposed to be?"... Wat?

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#50

Post by tptacek »

nknighthb wrote: post #49
sillysaurus2 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why be an asshole? Write your comments for the readers of HN, not for whomever you're replying to. I have no idea what OnSwipe is supposed to be. It's not obvious at all.

> Why be an asshole? In my opinion, I am not an asshole, but at least one other person in this thread certainly is. Why ask this question? Has my answer contributed anything of value? Were you expecting it to? > Write your comments for the readers of HN, not for whomever you're replying to. Do as you say, not as you do? > I have no idea what OnSwipe is supposed to be. It's not obvious at all. It's a UI for mobile/tou…

What does it mean to be a "UI for mobile/touchscreen devices"? Mobile devices already have UIs. What is it trying to add to those? It's obviously trying to add something, unless you literally believe the developers that go to work in that office are setting out to make your life worse.
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