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Gizmodo Not Welcome at 2010 WWDC
recoiledsnake writes "Gizmodo is reporting that Apple has refused to answer its request to attend the company's big Worldwide Developers Conference keynote this Monday. Apple's move to ban Gizmodo seems a direct repercussion of Apple's prototype leak by Gizmodo and subsequent actions of Apple to get the prototype back. Meanwhile, Gizmodo said that it would resort to a live blog to cover the event in case of the ban. This comes a few days after San Mateo County authorities announced that a 'special master' had been appointed to assist in the search of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen's belongings: goods seized as part of a police investigation into the disappearance (and Gizmodo acquisition) of one of Apple's prototype iPhones. It's the very device that's rumored to be announced at the Monday keynote."
LOLFRISTPOSRT no to trigger lolz
Gizmodo crossed the line, you do not bite the hand that feeds you. They need to be taught a lesson.
Enough with these Apple stories. They aren't news. We don't care what devices their employees lost. We don't care about their conference. We don't care about who they're censoring.
I know steve jobs makes Apple a ton of money (and saved the company), but I'm not sure he's not evil. In the long run, his decisions (app store bans, gizmodo ban, safari extensions, iphone deal with the devil / tiered data plan) are going to hurt Apple.
Okay, so Gizmodo misses out on the industry trade show equivalent of the pride parade. So what?
I mean, it was quite clear from Steve's reaction during D8 that he regards it as having been stolen (and CA law would seem to agree, at least IMHO). Why the hell would he give free passes to the people who he thinks stole from his company ?
If Giz really wanted to get in, they could pay for a ticket like everyone else, if necessary getting someone not-so-in-the-news to buy it. Nothing Apple could do about that...
Simon
Physicists get Hadrons!
I don't care so much that they exposed Apple's new phone but the fact they so happily gave up the guy's name showing no journalistic integrity. Fuck 'em, ban them for years.
Gizmodo has shown in the past that they are too immature to be allowed attend these types of events.
So ... Gizmodo can't provide news at the WWDC after obvious events previously, so they're plugging link-bait about their inability to provide news.
And this is news - how?
Why, it's Gizmodo news! But of course! (Get your news that's only news to Gizmodo, on Gizmodo!)
This is the same outfit that thought it would be an amusing prank to show up at CES with a universal TV power-off remote, which they used to interrupt demonstrations, presentations and meetings. I wouldn't blame anyone for banning them from a trade show. Apple just has more specific reasons than most for barring them.
Seems to sum up the situation pretty well. >:)
Apple and Gizmodo really are playing this publicity stunt to the hilt. It's almost like notoriously anal-retentive Apple really was stupid enough to allow a top-secret prototype to be taken to a bar by some junior employee, and almost like Gizmodo really was stupid enough to purchase stolen property, report on it, and then tell everyone exactly how they got it. But everyone knows that could never have actually happened.
Right?
Rob
There seems to be a real lack of editorial power at Gawker Media. Gawker itself is factually wrong rather often. Gizmodo has a real bad habit of doing things they just shouldn't be doing. Paying for play with the iPhone prototype was really disgraceful, then hiding behind being "journalists" as an excuse. The remote incident. Then there's Kotaku, which seems to be run by immature 18 year olds who have yet to touch a boob in their life before. Jalopnik can't keep their mouth shut about Top Gear spoilers. It's frustrating.
I'm through with the entire Gawker Media network. Engadget and Destructoid are much better blogs than Giz and Kotaku. Really haven't had a need for celeb gossip or car news, but when I do, it's not going to be Gawker.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
If Gizmodo pissed in my Cherios - I wouldn't invite them to my party either.
But don't dare criticize them for acting unprofessional, trying to milk the story, or otherwise disagree with them. They will ban or unstar you at a moment's notice.
Every fucking day they had an article summarizing the iPhone 4 coverage. Even if there was no actual new content. There were only ever two articles. The first one breaking the news, and then a second on where they showed a tear-down. But what do you expect from a firm that destroys presentations and displays at trade shows with TV-B-gone.
It's interesting how their tone changed. They used to sit around and wax and masturbate at great lengths about anything Apple. Now, not so much. Though it seems they all but forgot that computex was on this week.
I've pretty much abandoned them for Engadget.
This stuff happens when you leave things like secret prototypes lying around Starbucks; it's not the news media's fault that they write about it. It is by way of being their job.
Years ago, a California politician used whiteout to cover over the names of some campaign contributors whom they thought had better remain nameless. Then they copied their financial reports, kept the copies, and mailed the original whited-out version to the Fair Political Practices Commission. Shame on them. They got bad press.
PLEASE never call these narcissistic twits journalists again. Journalism is based on research, fact finding, source checking and has a goal to keep a check and balance on the democratic process. Agreed, much of the media today fails this. But in a spectrum of "news" Gizmodo "stories" are on par with Bat Boy in the Enquirer. Their usage of the English language is barely a step above txt speak while their maturity is nowhere above that of a third grade child.
CNET News: According to Wagstaffe, a special master is an unpaid agent appointed by the court to make sure judicial orders are followed. Special masters are typically volunteers, mostly former judges or law professors, Wagstaffe said. They are supposed to be unconnected to the cases they are working on. Wagstaffe said he was under court orders not to reveal the identity of the special master reviewing Chen's possessions.
Why do media sites always complain about Apple, then proceed to give them so much free advertising? Every time Apple releases a new product, the media falls over themselves to tell everyone about it. If they wanted to teach Apple a lesson, they'd impose their own ban on Apple news. No free product placement on the front page. No glowing "reviews" about how great the new iWhatever is and how you just have to have one.
Of course, that would imply intelligence in the media, and so far there's been very little evidence of that.
(that, and as others have noted, Gizmodo isn't exactly above reproach in many ways)
"Save the whales, feed the hungry, free the mallocs" -- author unknown
"I pity the fool who messes with Mr. Steve."
HEIL APPLE!
That's seriously what it's coming down to. Apple is going to drive away so many people with their closed-minded situation. Can they not see this? Can they not see the global trend toward free and open? Or do they just not care for the sake of profit and propriety?
I'm done with them. Go to hell Jobs. Take that shitty King Sized iPhone-sans-phone with you.
If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits
solution. Fuck Steve. Fuck Apple. If there is one thing I cannot stand I'ts the "Hey you are locked into our world" arrogant ass headed ignorance these fucking snake oil picklefucks ram down the throat of the stupid. It gets old. I don't know about normal people since I rarely see any on the /dot. /end fucking rant
Apple, they will format your life.
They are welcome, they just don't get their tickets gratis. If they bought a ticket they would be at the keynote. You can construct whatever narrative you like. Either this is apple imposing their iron fist on dissent or this is Gizmodo getting their comeuppance for buying stolen property and attempting to extort apple for it. In both cases apple (presumably) has the right to refuse to extend a welcome to a press organization. That may be unseemly, but it is true.
I don't think either party comes out looking good, but Gizmodo is really milking it. You bought a leaked phone, attempted to get confirmation that the phone was real to get a scoop, and you got burnt. Oh well. that shit happens. If you don't want to get burnt, don't play with fire. This isn't the pentagon or the white house, where some public service is gained through continued access by all parties--Apple is not a government agency. They are a private company. We may feel (As I do) that Apple SHOULD allow press to attend regardless of their orientation, but apple is under no mandate to do so. If we feel strongly enough, we should refuse to buy the products and/or own the stock on the basis of our reservations. Beyond that, we don't have much sway.
As someone who is tired of Gizmodo's general behavior and attitude, but enjoys the spectrum of coverage they provide, what would be a viable alternative tech blog to read? I mainly read giz, slashdot, and ars.
"Going to war without the French is like going deer hunting without your accordion." ~General Norman Schwarzkopf
look it up.
If you'll note the article is by PC Magazine which is not associated with gawker as far as I am aware. So how is this link-baiting? I certainly think it isn't news and there is HUGE difference between BANNING Gizmodo and not giving them a free pass with news credentials but I don't see how you are correct in your assertion that this is link-baiting.
I haven't eaten Cheerios in years; can we please stick to the car analogies?
Heck, I'll start:
Steve Jobs left the keys in his Mercedes SL55 AMG after parking it in the usual handicapped space. A Good Samaritan quickly discovered this abandoned vehicle and yelled out "Finders keepers!" before driving it straight home.
It then took more than a month of negotiations before Steve Jobs finally got his car back, but not before the Good Samaritan disassembled the vehicle and put it back together again.
What's for them to see? They already got their scoop, right?
And if there is anything new announced there that they miss, well, I guess they'll just have to echo conventional sources that have enough journalistic integrity not to deal in stolen goods and not to reveal their source's identity (failure to make best effort to return misplaced property, such as returning the item to the bar in question where it was lost == stolen, and they knew that or should have consulted with their lawyer about it).
Apple could do them the courtesy of sending them a PFO letter, but that would be the limit I'd feel obliged to give them if I was Apple. Oh, and I might add an "Apply next year and we'll consider it."
And this is news why?
They'll be welcome again at another Apple shindig when Steve Jobs is dead and buried.
And, probably not then.
Steven
I am the JOBS !!! Don't FUCK WITH ME !! FUCK WITH ME AND I WILL CRACK LIKE THE TOOTHPICK I HAVE BECOME !!!!
In reply to (what the fuck is a gizmodo anyways):
Rafael Nadal Just Won the French Open Wearing This $525,000 Wristwatch
Congratulations to Rafael Nadal, whose dominance on Roland Garros clay was reaffirmed today following his French Open victory over Swede Robin Söderling. The victory is sweet, to be sure, but so was the bling he wore on his wrist.
I agree with the ban. However, I do hope Apple shows a sense of humour by bringing out that guy who lost the phone (Gray Powell? was that his name?) Have him come out and say a couple lines about losing something. Then Jobs can come in and say, hey, I think this is yours? Then a rimshot, chuckles and everyone can line up to blow Jobs.
Google shows 643 news stories referencing Gizmodo. That's roughly half as many stories as those about the terror arrests at an NYC airport. And the Developer conf. hasn't even begun. This is how Apple gets even? Reminds of the mafia guys who shot a rival in the skull and left him in the trunk of a Caddy parked in Hunters Point. Said guy showed up at their trial with a band-aid on his head, testifying his ass off. But, as someone quite correctly said, "Fuck PR." This is a technical board, so somebody tell me how Gizmodo's servers have thus far avoided being slashdotted into scorched earth.
When I read the headline in the RSS feed, I didn't know what WWDC stood for, so I had to make up my own.
WWDC = "What Would Dingoes Chew?" A nascent Australian evangelical movement. They're a little confused.
Any real journalist knows their defining characteristic is integrity. Everybody just wants to overlook that when it comes to Gizmodo though. Integrity means you don't go to a trade show and disrupt the demonstrations of companies that paid lots of money to be there. Integrity means you don't even offer, let alone actually pay for a stolen device. Failing that, integrity means you simply give the device back when asked for it, you don't try to use it as a bargaining chip. Integrity means you don't harm members of the public for no good reason.
Now, let's get into common sense. If journalists are to be the protectors and the propagators of truth, discernment and common sense are two of their most valuable tools. Common sense tells you that you don't attempt to acquire trade secrets of a company that has less than three months ago sent you a letter to cease and desist attempts to acquire said trade secrets. Common sense tells you that if you want greater access to a company, and someone offers to sell you something valuable belonging to said company, you buy it, then return it to said company without making a story about it. Common sense tells you if you do purchase a device that is likely to be stolen in California, pay no more than $799 for it, thereby avoiding any implicit acknowledgement that the device is worth enough to you, to constitute grand theft in the eyes of the law.
So who thinks these guys are journalists? People who don't care about what a journalist is supposed to be.
cat
Why is /. wasting our time on this? It's not at all surprising.
Oh, yeah, yet another baseless opportunity to dump on Apple.
The "news" outfit that's willing to pay for an iPhone prototype of murky origins is whining because they don't want to pay for a WWDC ticket?
Blog about it in a way that publishes faster than Apple can act.
Instant publicity either way.
Apple's disinvitation becomes worthless, and Gizmodo still gets the story.
Waiting for folks to irrationally modbomb in 3,2,1...
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
Apple either did not answer, or they told them they weren't welcome. If they had done the latter, I guess Gizmodo would have told us, so I guess Apple did not answer. That could have any reason, for instance the fact that Apple has already run out of room for any journalists, and does not have the time right now to reply to all requests.
IMO, publishing this as "Refused to answer" puts quite some spin on this. It may be true, but the link you point to does not give a iota of evidence for it. Worse, even the Gizmodo article this references just uses "has not responded to our requests".
Gizmodo might be in trouble since 60% of what they cover is Apple. Here is a funny fact though. Apple is only 10% of the market share for computers and 25% for mobile phones. Why the fuck do they get so much coverage? The majority of people don't fucking care. Find something worth while to cover.
The fault is really Apple's. If I had a classified object or document and left it in a public place, there is no way I can accuse a random reader of violating the 'National Secrets Act'.
It seems to me that Apple is just deeply embarrassed about its own goof-up(s), and wants to blame and vent on someone....anyone, that it can. That said, they obviously have every right to refuse Gizmodo an invitation to their roadshow...it just seems pathetic to me.
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem.
I'm loving all of the Gizmodo hate by all of you pencil-dicked, iPad toting, peterpuffing Apple lovers that think Apple is OMGSOFUCKINGCOOL since they released OS X. Yeah Gizmodo certainly isn't the pinnacle of journalism but for fuck's sake... Are you fucking kidding me? Especially all of you dickwads that still insist on saying that they stole that iPhone. The entire lot of you can go drown in a septic tank.
I wish Apple would just disappear. They've been guilty of pretentious douchebaggery since I had my C64 and they were claiming that the Apple 2 was better.
I haven't been this shocked since Woodward and Bernstein were taken off of President Nixon's Christmas card list.
They are increasingly taking the most evil policy choices they can. It's beyond good business.
And any in the Open Source community who keep backing them. Realize you are backing the most closed company in tech.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I thought Steve was the master of the authorities in that area of California.
I will have to make sure and get my Apple news from Gizmodo in the future.
While Gizmodo might be in the wrong i'm not so sure wtf to think about this. It seems like a screwed up thing to do to blame Gizmodo for Apple's mistake. Apple might have the right to ban Gizmodo, but I wouldn't blame Gizmodo for paying for a story. Even if you think they paid for the phone. Even though they said they paid for the phone. I firmly believe what they really were paying for was the story. If they had been prevented from writing about it then the phone would have been worthless to them. Proof that it was the story they were after and not the phone.
Hi! I think Apple could refuse to sell Giz the tickets. Even if Giz bought the tickets from someone else Apple could still deny them entrance to the event.
I read the comment and I sense some crazy persons out here are almost ready to immolate the guy who reportedly "stole" the prototype in a bar.
Now just a little fictional tale I would like to share with you, it's kinda of a gamebook or a choose your own adventure book if you will.
You in a bar, with a friends drinking beers. You had a couple of pints and a couple of nerd arguments about [insert geeky topics] when all of a sudden you see the obnoxious guy with 2 chicks and 3 grammes of alcohol in each arm leaving the bar, forgetting something on the table. So you go over there to see and you SEE and Hold in your hand a prototype iPhone 4G.
Now tell me : what do you do ?
Shall you call upon the aforementioned drunk idiot to hand him over his prototype while both of you pray to steve ?
Or shall you keep it and intend to toy with it up until it is remotely locked ?
Quick think fast, the guy is moving away and it could get locked any time soon !
I hope at least some of you will think about it twice now before virtually sentencing the poor bastard to death.
It doesn't matter about the law here. It comes down to etiquette. Giz probably would have had a better deal for a scoop had they not torn it apart and posted the teardown online before they gave it back to Apple. You don't treat a company you want to be your friend that way. They should have known this was coming. Really they're just acting the victim because nothing since has brought them attention like this has.
My heart bleeds purple piss for them.
It's funny how Gizmodo are thrashing about looking for another dick to suck - since the whole stolen iPhone fiasco, their articles are noticeable more anti-Apple and more pro-Microsoft and pro-Google. It's funny/painful to watch.
"Be nice, veer left, and never stop thinking" Iain Banks - Walking On Glass
Now that Apple is the worlds largest tech company they probably will need to cut down a lot of secrete stuff nonsense. We all know there will be an other iPhone model. Or a new laptop even a new iPod... I think their last surprise was the Intel switch, other then that it was just normal upgrades. Even if apple says we are going to release a new iPhone at WWDC that will have a faster CPU and give some tech specs... It probably wont hurt Apple in the least. Even if it means selling the older models at a discount. Because right now Apple fans are waiting for the next upgrade to get a new version anyways.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
The phone wasn't stolen until he sold it.
That's been covered a thousand times before.
Maybe you should think about it twice before assuming people don't know what they're talking about.
It's odd how they are banned from the event despite the fact that gizmodo is such an apple-lover-hugger. They should reconsider the god they pray to.
Apple really is a joke this days.
But, we will look the other way because they brought us the iPad.
I've got a modest proposal :
All Apple product release posts should focus primarily upon the latest tween toy trends like silly bandz.
For example, vajazzling discussion would have been the perfect accompaniment to the iPad release article here on slashdot.
I've observe this merger of topics keep discussions organized and focussed upon what matters most, and encourage slashdot users to submit and discuss accordingly.
The Christian religion has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world. -- Bertrand Russell
Under California law, if you come into the possession of lost or stolen property, you have a legal duty to make reasonable efforts to return that property. If the phone was not stolen when it came into Brian Hogan's possession, then it became stolen when he refused to meet his obligations under the law, and attempted to sell it. Even if Brian Hogan had not succeeded in selling the phone, it would have still been stolen, as it was not his property to advertise for sale.