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Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,336
31,469
You are overthinking this. Anyone who has dealt with Apple PR sees the truth being reported here. Tim Cook ending the Katie Cotton era is a positive development.

With all the pure regurgitation going on theses day in the name of journalism, this piece stands out as an effort to actually report on something.

I still think he's very bitter for whatever reason and it shows in some of his reporting.
 

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
17,909
1,496
Palookaville
I still think he's very bitter for whatever reason and it shows in some of his reporting.

I don't get why you and others are working so hard to find a hidden message or motive in this article, as though it's some sort of hit piece that has to be refuted somehow. I don't take this story as being a necessarily negative one about Apple, and in fact it leaves the impression that Apple under Cook is becoming a bit less obsessive about controlling the media. As an investor, I like to hear about Apple's passion for messaging. Then again, as someone who tried to deal with Apple PR in the past and was jerked around because he wasn't on Apple's media A-list, I can see the truth in what is being reported and the value in being kinder and gentler to all those other poor schmucks who are just trying to make a living.
 

icolove

macrumors regular
Jan 27, 2012
219
371
OMFG, a total of 30 PR people in Cupertino for a huge multinational like Apple. The sky is surely falling.

nothing in this article goes beyond standard PR practices. And nothing comes close to sleazy tactics regularly employed by Samsung, like paying bloggers for fake reviews.

Give me a break, fanboy righteousness is unbecoming.
 

mccldwll

macrumors 65816
Jan 26, 2006
1,345
12
With all the pure regurgitation going on theses day in the name of journalism, this piece stands out as an effort to actually report on something.



Or......an obvious example of a pseudo-journalist simply doing his job, financed by Samsung or other anti-apple interests. BTW, is Gurman out of high school yet?

----------

I still think he's very bitter for whatever reason and it shows in some of his reporting.

Probably just onset of puberty.
 

prowlmedia

Suspended
Jan 26, 2010
1,589
813
London
Stopped Reading at "The (Anki) play mat and miniature car product did not sound initially interesting when it was introduced, and its accompanying demonstration was even less impressive."

Er They had a little blip when they had to re-link a Car... then the demo amazed everyone... Massive claps and cheers.
 

iososx

macrumors 6502a
Aug 23, 2014
859
6
USA
Apple PR is doing just fine I think.
I agree.

In fact over the long term Tim Cooks approach will serve Apple just a little better than Steve Jobs acerbic viciousness. His "going thermonuclear" comment was taken as juvenile and demonstrating a loss of personal control over himself.

Amongst the wealthy, well educated, self assured professionals, a large part of Apples user base, they laughed at his weakness that was demonstrated. These people make up a huge part of Apples target market for their premium priced products.

Conversely in those same circles, Tim is well respected, admired for his poise in the face of the daunting task as the new CEO. As long as he's supported and given time to continue to grow Apple, they'll be stronger than ever.
 

kdarling

macrumors P6
nothing in this article goes beyond standard PR practices. And nothing comes close to sleazy tactics regularly employed by Samsung, like paying bloggers for fake reviews.

Using unpaid fanboys is just as bad.

"Most recently, Apple utilized covert tactics to challenge a Reuters story about Apple’s accessibility practices. Reuters referred to Apple as a champion of the blind community, but called for the company to do even more work in the accessibility field.

"Unable to get Apple to comment for the story, the article quoted a 2013 Tim Cook speech to underscore Apple’s understanding of accessibility’s importance. Despite being unwilling to officially participate, Apple asked Reuters off the record to include more quotes from Cook’s speech, said a person familiar with the situation. Reuters declined, since the speech is publicly available material.

Instead of commenting on-the-record before or after the article was published, Apple’s PR team disapprovingly pointed a loyal group of Apple-focused bloggers to the entire 2013 speech transcript, and these bloggers then used the supplied details to attack Reuters. "

- from the article

Every company manages PR, but Apple has made it into an art form

Exactly.

Apple makes 2014 look like... uh... 1984.

My favorite example was back when the original iPhone price was slashed by $200 after only two months (Ballmer was right... Americans would not pay $600 for a phone) and the early adopters who had paid full price were furious.

They immediately swarmed the Apple iPhone support forum in huge numbers. Now, Apple hates negative posts. Their policy is to throw them down the old memory hole and pretend they never existed.

So the moderators at Apple's forum deleted hundreds if not thousands of angry posts, before finally giving up and letting the rioting continue unabated all night. I was there and saw it.
 

ardent73

macrumors regular
Jan 14, 2010
156
61
Bonam et Malum

"Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life? Or do you want to come with me and change the world?"

:apple: = Sugar, Water and Pectin

Apple Computer Inc. -> Apple Inc.

When a liar tells the truth, which changed?

Too Deep for a Friday? Probably... ;)

I know what I'm in for with a company named Apple; same as a dog named Satan.
 

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,336
31,469
I don't get why you and others are working so hard to find a hidden message or motive in this article, as though it's some sort of hit piece that has to be refuted somehow. I don't take this story as being a necessarily negative one about Apple, and in fact it leaves the impression that Apple under Cook is becoming a bit less obsessive about controlling the media. As an investor, I like to hear about Apple's passion for messaging. Then again, as someone who tried to deal with Apple PR in the past and was jerked around because he wasn't on Apple's media A-list, I can see the truth in what is being reported and the value in being kinder and gentler to all those other poor schmucks who are just trying to make a living.

I'm not looking for a hidden message, I just think some of what he reported is BS like insinuating that when Apple garners negative press it gets guys like Gruber and Dalrymple to refute it. That Haunted Empire book got negative reviews across the board. Apple PR didn't need to push anybody into calling it the nonsense that it was. Same with that Reuters hit piece about Apple and accessibility. Another story easy to refute without the involvement of Apple PR. Gurman is basically suggesting that guys like John Gruber take marching orders from Apple PR. I'd love for Gurman to prove it as Gruber has said numerous times he doesn't have an 'in' with high ups at Apple. That's my issue with his investigation.
 

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
17,909
1,496
Palookaville
Or......an obvious example of a pseudo-journalist simply doing his job, financed by Samsung or other anti-apple interests. BTW, is Gurman out of high school yet?

I'm sorry, was I supposed to understand this?

----------

I'm not looking for a hidden message, I just think some of what he reported is BS like insinuating that when Apple garners negative press it gets guys like Gruber and Dalrymple to refute it. That Haunted Empire book got negative reviews across the board. Apple PR didn't need to push anybody into calling it the nonsense that it was. Same with that Reuters hit piece about Apple and accessibility. Another story easy to refute without the involvement of Apple PR. Gurman is basically suggesting that guys like John Gruber take marching orders from Apple PR. I'd love for Gurman to prove it as Gruber has said numerous times he doesn't have an 'in' with high ups at Apple. That's my issue with his investigation.

I suppose insinuations are where you find them.
 

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,336
31,469
Or......an obvious example of a pseudo-journalist simply doing his job, financed by Samsung or other anti-apple interests. BTW, is Gurman out of high school yet?

----------



Probably just onset of puberty.

His report on designer Greg Christie leaving Apple was much different than what Matthew Panzarino from Tech Crunch and John Gruber reported. And Bob Borchers, who used to work at Apple, called Gurman's story BS on Twitter and said the circumstances were anything but what he reported. Makes me wonder if the people leaking to him are disgruntled current or ex-Apple employees with an ax to grind.
 

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
17,909
1,496
Palookaville
His report on designer Greg Christie leaving Apple was much different than what Matthew Panzarino from Tech Crunch and John Gruber reported. And Bob Borchers, who used to work at Apple, called Gurman's story BS on Twitter and said the circumstances were anything but what he reported. Makes me wonder if the people leaking to him are disgruntled current or ex-Apple employees with an ax to grind.

The only possible explanation. Clearly.
 

firewood

macrumors G3
Jul 29, 2003
8,113
1,353
Silicon Valley
The domino show doesn't last forever, "bro", and neither will Apple when things like this eventually catch up to them.

Nope. The PR show will continue, since whatever company or companies that ends up on top will be doing the same, if not more. (Maybe not as well polished?)

Big political party and political candidate PR organizations have been and will continue to be far worse than anything seemingly negative in this non-expose on Apple PR.
 

uiop.

macrumors 68020
Jul 22, 2008
2,045
88
Grand Rapids, MI
Every company manages PR, but Apple has made it into an art form

I'm not certain Apple's techniques are unique though. Attentive and borderline manipulative, sure. But not unique.

Ferrari for example. Any press event where their cars are being driven by journalists requires a Ferrari engineer onsite to "calibrate" and monitor the operation of the vehicle before journalists drive it. That's manipulation in favor of a desired PR outcome.

----------

In B4 "Every company does this" and "Reporter is just bitter"

oh wait...

Those truths are self-evident and you weren't "in B4" aforementioned remarks.
 

parapup

macrumors 65816
Oct 31, 2006
1,291
49
Um...

...what?

applepremail.jpg


If it wasn't clear i thought that was very petty - Apple PR suggesting "news" articles that diss the competitor. The pressure must be immense for them to pull this level on unclassy.
 

69Mustang

macrumors 604
Jan 7, 2014
7,895
15,044
In between a rock and a hard place
I doubt this thread will reach 70 posts. Even though the only thing Gurber said was Apple employs the same tactics as everyone else, a certain element within this forum refuses to acknowledge Apple is no better or worse than any other company. It's a business that's out to make money, not some paragon of virtue.

Gurber's article should neither surprise nor disappoint.

Looks like I was wrong. :eek: It did reach 70 posts. It took ~7.5 hours but it did make it. :eek:
 

AxoNeuron

macrumors 65816
Apr 22, 2012
1,251
855
The Left Coast
Image

If it wasn't clear i thought that was very petty - Apple PR suggesting "news" articles that diss the competitor. The pressure must be immense for them to pull this level on unclassy.

Jesus, talk about blowing things out of proportion...it seems to me like one guy sending an email to a few people...yet you make it sound as if it is some evil corporate master plan to destroy Android...?

Give me a break... :rolleyes:

Did you even read the article? It's talking about an app on android that took down the NWS, not some hit story against android. You really need to chill out before making such ridiculous assertions.
 
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SactoGuy18

macrumors 601
Sep 11, 2006
4,386
1,552
Sacramento, CA USA
I think despite what some people (including here!) think of Tim Cook, you have to admit that with Steve Jobs' passing, the company's arrogance has dropped quite a bit.

I think Cook realized that Apple--now one of the most influential companies in the world--needed a major PR image makeover once Jobs passed from the scene. The iPhone 6 models--probably the first Apple products designed without design input from Jobs--indicates Apple understands the market reality of high-end cellphones. Indeed, the design of the new models likely would have been rejected by Jobs if he were still alive today, especially his mantra of being able to operate a cellphone with one hand.

Also, note that there seems to be a lot less acrimony between Apple and the Android handset makers (with the exception of Samsung--but then, it was very obvious the early Samsung touchscreen cellphones rolled out to compete against the iPhone between 2008 and 2010 blatantly copied a lot of the iPhone's hardware and software design). I do think that behind the scenes, there may be discussions for a major settlement and cross-licensing deal between Apple and Google to end the legal spat once and for all, and could be announced probably early in 2015.

In short, Apple became insanely great when Steve Jobs was at the helm between 1997 and 2011, but it's time Apple to become a more mature company.
 
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