It’s no secret among those who have been reading this blog for a while that Irreal doesn’t hold journalists in high regard. Those that aren’t explicitly corrupt are mostly lazy and ignorant (yes, yes, of course there are exceptions). I wish I could say that the tech press is better but, sadly, if anything they’re worse.
A glaring example of this is Apple coverage. For reasons unknown to me—and probably any other sane observer—Apple drives many reporters into paroxysms of mindless fury and an inability to see facts or reason about them. Every single thing that Apple does is taken by these reporters as proof that Apple is doomed and is only barely holding on. No one, no one, with any sense believes any of their nonsense because Apple continues to be, arguably, the most successful company ever and is showing no signs of slowing down. Sure, eventually they’ll start the inevitable decline common to all earthly things but that time is not yet upon us.
Apple hasn’t been blind to this and being Apple have brilliantly used it to advance their ends. Over at Apple Insider, Daniel Eran Dilger writes about Apple’s infamous secrecy and how they use it to leverage the press in helping them gain competitive advantages against their rivals. The article is, in a way, screamingly funny and you don’t have to be an Apple fan to enjoy the spectacle of a hapless press being pressed into serving Apple’s ends while believing they are fighting the evil empire.
The funniest part of the story is that Apple doesn’t have to lie to the press or do any overt misdirection. They simply keep their plans private and let the press make up their own stories. As I said, nobody with a modicum of sense believes anything they write and it’s unlikely that they’ve changed anyone’s perception of Apple or its products. But they keep at it.