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The Media's Crush on Apple

conq writes "BusinessWeek reports: "It's the first time in my memory that a product announcement by Steve Jobs has caused the AP to send an alert -- especially since this development was fully expected. And it says a lot about the intensity of media attention Apple generates. When is the last time a NewsAlert went out based on the words of Michael Dell or Bill Gates? Clearly, the AP's editors determined this news was important enough to warrant such action."

14 of 391 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Last week? by ivan256 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here's a link to that if you're interested...

  2. Re:I think the bias is warranted... by aardwolf64 · · Score: 2, Informative

    For the two of you out there that haven't seen it, he's talking about a scene from Independence Day.

  3. Re:Well, by ivan256 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Because you have the apple section enabled in your user profile.

  4. Re:Last week? by ivan256 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Macworld Expo. Much of the IT press is reporting on the only event going on this week, and Slashdot just posts links to what's out there...

  5. Re:Reality Alert! by javaxman · · Score: 4, Informative
    The alert is probably because most journalists seeing Intel-hardware prices this high would otherwise assume they've drunk themselves into a coma over "lunch" and woken in the 1980's.

    Are you saying this Dell Inspiron is priced too high? Because it looks somewhat comprable to the specs of the MacBook, except that it includes much less software ( nothing at all like iLife, for example ), no Bluetooth, and that $1999 price doesn't give you a DVD-R drive even. I mean, you can quibble about the details, Apple's ATI X1600 vs Dell's Invidia 7800, etc, but... they look like comprable offerings at... the *exact* same price!

    Did I check that right? I can order either a Dell top-of-the-line notebook, or an Apple top-of-the-line notebook, and they cost EXACTLY the same amount ? Damn, now what do I do?!?

  6. Your question is premised on facts not in evidence by Dewb · · Score: 2, Informative

    Microsoft Enters The Living Room
    SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 8, 2004 (AP)
    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/08/tech/mai n648325.shtml
    [about the announcement of Windows Media Center Edition 2005, not the Xbox]

    Microsoft Unveils New Xbox 360
    REDMOND, Wash., May 13, 2005 (AP)
    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/13/tech/mai n695041.shtml

    Xbox 360 beats PlayStation to Japan stores
    HANS GREIMEL
    Associated Press (Posted on Thu, Dec. 08, 2005)
    http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/business/1335 5006.htm

    Gates Highlights Windows Vista Program
    By MAY WONG, AP Technology Writer Thu Jan 5, 3:53 AM ET
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060105/ap_on_hi_te/ga dget_show_gates

    MTV, Microsoft team up for online music
    ALEX VEIGA
    Associated Press (Thursday, Jan 12, 2006)
    http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/enterta inment/13398835.htm

    That's just from 5 minutes of Googling. Someone with a Lexis account could produce pages and pages of AP stories about Microsoft products.

    Sure, the media likes to ooh and ahh over Apple, but the media likes to ooh and ahh over everything. It's ridiculous to suggest that a similar product announcement from Microsoft wouldn't go out over the AP wire.

  7. News story != news alert by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Bill Gates story was an article. AP generated dozens of them from CES alone.

    The Apple piece in question was an alert: a one-sentence "breaking news happening now!" thing that AP passes on to its subscribers. For example, if a UFO lands in Detroit, there will be an immediate alert, followed later by a detailed story.

    Just so you know.

  8. Re:When by ErikZ · · Score: 2, Informative

    Where in the world did you hear that the X2s are running hot?

    A friend of mine bought a 4800+ and he can't make it go above 35c no matter what he does. Plain fan cooling.

    --
    Democrats or Republicans. They are both taking us to the same place and they are not afraid of us anymore.
  9. Re:Last week? by Ahnteis · · Score: 2, Informative

    "People are buying iPods because they are [baleeted!] very stylish, even cool"

    Let me fix that for you.
    Ipods aren't significantly smaller then their competition, and according to my non-geek friends they aren't significantly easier to use either.

  10. Re:When by heeeraldo · · Score: 2, Informative

    >The fact it's the best laptop available right now? subjective call. it's not the best laptop for me because the screen is too big for my needs/wants. >The fact it's the first Core Duo based portable in the world? It's not, actually. A number were revealed at CES, and covered on Engadget. (you'll want to scroll down) >The fact it's the first with a magnetically attached power cord? I'll give you this one; that's pretty damn cool. >The fact it's only an inch thick? Also cool, but other manufacturers are also doing it. Both Sony and IBM have thinner ones (with numerous compromises). Being an inch thick with all the features it brings is new. >And it's got a webcam built in to the screen? Acer, Sony and Asus have been doing this one before, too.

  11. Re: Mod parent UP! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Parent post "gets it." This article is about a very specific, heavily weighted, one-paragraph NewsAlert, not regular news stories. Obviously there are news stories every day about Microsoft, Apple, etc., but not a NewsAlert (tm).

    The posts about Time Magazine Person of the Year don't get it either. Person of the Year is not a NewsAlert (tm).

    RTFA everybody !!!

  12. Re:Reality Alert! by Selly · · Score: 2, Informative

    Not to be picky but you're comparing the 1.83MHz Inspiron to the 1.67MHz MacBook, so it's not an even comparison: a more proper comparison is to compare the same size notebooks: $2499 for the 1.83MHz MacBook Pro 15.4" Screen $2173 for an equivalent Inspirion 17" Screen (Adding a DVD-R drive, Bluetooth and upgradeing to a 100MB HD) Of course the Dell still lacks the Apple software suite.

    --
    ------> Insert Sigline Here
  13. Re:What am I missing? by jtshaw · · Score: 2, Informative

    Cheaper LCD production costs.
    Orientation/Movement sensors for parking hard drives before damage occurs.
    Higher density disk platters.

    That took about 3 seconds for me to come up with (and no research). IBM patents more new technology each year then your average 10 tech companies combined.

  14. Re:Last week? by carpeicthus · · Score: 2, Informative

    An AP News Alert is different than an AP news story. The alerts go out to their member organizations as very brief statements to make sure that people are up on extremely important news, such as "The Pope is dead." That explains his surprise.