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Beat the Press
Apple squashes product rumor site
Here's my suggestion for a new Apple TV commercial: A cool-looking kid dressed in comfortable clothes offers some hints about the company's upcoming products, while a boring milquetoast in a suit drones on about how it can't comment on rumor or speculation. Then the milquetoast starts up a steamroller and runs over the kid.
That's what Apple did, more or less, to Think Secret, a website that covered the company. Apple sued the site, claiming that its reporting violated trade-secret law. And today Think Secret issued a press release that said that suit has been settled and that Think Secret is shutting down.
This might not seem like such a bad day for journalism — the idea that Apple might be working on a more powerful iPhone or a smaller computer doesn't meet any reasonable definition of news. Also, it's a little obvious: When is a tech company not making a product that's smaller and more powerful? But this isn't a good thing.
More than any other company, with the possible exception of Walt Disney and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Apple carefully controls its corporate image, parceling out access to a few favored journalists while keeping others at bay. The company's new products are often featured on the cover of Time or Newsweek, whose technology writer Steven Levy is so impartial that he titled his book about the Macintosh Insanely Great and his book about the iPod The Perfect Thing. Having met Levy, who's a very smart writer, I think he comes by his enthusiasm naturally. But since his ability to sell books depends on his access to Steve Jobs, it's hard to believe he would criticize Apple. Let's face it though: The iPod, with its DRM and hard-to-replace battery, is far from perfect.
That's what Apple did, more or less, to Think Secret, a website that covered the company. Apple sued the site, claiming that its reporting violated trade-secret law. And today Think Secret issued a press release that said that suit has been settled and that Think Secret is shutting down.
This might not seem like such a bad day for journalism — the idea that Apple might be working on a more powerful iPhone or a smaller computer doesn't meet any reasonable definition of news. Also, it's a little obvious: When is a tech company not making a product that's smaller and more powerful? But this isn't a good thing.
More than any other company, with the possible exception of Walt Disney and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Apple carefully controls its corporate image, parceling out access to a few favored journalists while keeping others at bay. The company's new products are often featured on the cover of Time or Newsweek, whose technology writer Steven Levy is so impartial that he titled his book about the Macintosh Insanely Great and his book about the iPod The Perfect Thing. Having met Levy, who's a very smart writer, I think he comes by his enthusiasm naturally. But since his ability to sell books depends on his access to Steve Jobs, it's hard to believe he would criticize Apple. Let's face it though: The iPod, with its DRM and hard-to-replace battery, is far from perfect.
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