BBC iTV article makes no sense.

[Jesus]

I was just reading a story on the BBC website about the iTV and I came across this paragraph.

The firm said users of the iTunes music store would automatically download graphics of album covers for music ripped from CDs, allowing them to search through animations of album art as well as by name lists.

The switchover means all Macs can now run Windows as well as the Mac's own OS X operating system, a factor which some analysts say has helped sales.

The same system, Mr Jobs said, would allow easy searching of TV shows and movies downloaded.

I know it is in refence to the intel switch, but what does it have to do with iTunes??

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5339470.stm

 

[Kingsly]

Wow. Journalism at its finest, folks.

 

[Dr.Gargoyle]

Wow. Journalism at its finest, folks.

I second that...
Still, it is not unusual to find bizzare and erroneous articles about Macs and OSX in the otherwise "serious" media, which have made me question other articles where I know less about the actual facts.

 

[bartelby]

I find the BBC try to portray Apple in the worst light possible!
Their articles are generally badly researched and badly written!

 

[whooleytoo]

I find the BBC try to portray Apple in the worst light possible!
Their articles are generally badly researched and badly written!

As I posted in another thread, BBC (television) had a very, very negative special report on Apple and the iPod/music industry on Newsnight on Tuesday night, essentially painting a picture of a music industry divided in two, with Apple and it's evil DRM on one side, and the rest on the other.

There was no mention that it wasn't Apple who insisted upon DRM, that DRM existed before iTMS and almost every music store has it, that the iPod is probably the best music device and iTMS the best music store on their own - they're not dominating solely because of 'consumer lockin'.

 

[bartelby]

Someone put up a comment on the BBC news webiste about Apple and Movies and Apple's restrictive DRM!
Are these people total morons!!
They drive me f**king mental sometimes.

Can't these people remember all this was said before when Apple launched iTMS?

The other article that got me was the one about emusic challenging iTMS as if emusic was a new thing. I've used emusic for about 5 years now!

 

[MacSA]

LOL... the BBC never miss a chance to take a swipe at Apple.

 

[bartelby]

LOL... the BBC never miss a chance to take a swipe at Apple.

And then proudly boast about how fast they can edit programmes on FCP!

 

[Savage Henry]

The feedback on the iTV pretty much apes the manner the BBC has recently started putting a question mark over Apple's approach.

But Apple seems to have reached a critical mass with the UK media who are now trying to pre-empt the slide with articles in The Guardian and The Telegraph frantically craving editorial attention from sledging Apple.

Tech journalism can really stink sometimes.

 

[bartelby]

I hate the Guardian more than the BBC. I don't think they do ANY reseach for articles and make it up at the last minute!

 

[Savage Henry]

I hate the Guardian more than the BBC. I don't think they do ANY reseach for articles and make it up at the last minute!

I think they are written by the same people who grew up watching Points of View thinking it was strong intellectual debate on the state of modern television.
.
.
.
.

 

[bartelby]

I think they are written by the same people who grew up watching Points of View thinking it was strong intellectual debate on the state of modern television.
.
.
.
.

hahahahah I think you're right!!

"Dear BBC,
I did so love it when Trovill and Dean won the Olymipcs, can you show the routine again. I've only seen it 32 times a day for the last 2 months. Oh and please can you also write a totally inaccurate article slagging off Apple Computers.
Thanks
Mavis"

 

[Savage Henry]

"Dear BBC,
I did so love it when Trovill and Dean won the Olymipcs, can you show the routine again. I've only seen it 32 times a day for the last 2 months. Oh and please can you also write a totally inaccurate article slagging off Apple Computers.
Thanks
Mavis"

May I take the liberty of nominating that for Post Of The Day™ ... that hit the spot

 

[bartelby]

I'm honoured!

 

[RedTomato]

The switchover means all Macs can now run Windows as well as the Mac's own OS X operating system, a factor which some analysts say has helped sales.

OK, I can see it's nothing to do with the iTunes thing, but otherwise, it seems to be a fantastic piece of plugging.

Honestly, the BBC just included for free a plug of an incredibly strong selling point for the new Intel Macs (that they run windows and are generally compatible with windows) that they could have very easily left out of the article. And you guys are complaining!

Apple PR must be very happy with the article - Apples not playing happily with windows has been the no 1 big time moan by the mass market over the last 20 years, and here the BBC are addressing that for free when it's not even strictly relevant to the topic of the article.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, (and I accept other articles might have been rubbish) but in this case it seems there's no pleasing you fanboys.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Tech journalism can really stink sometimes.

More often than not, I'm afraid. Banal, recycled ideas, poorly researched opinions, and obvious cut-and-pastes from press releases are now the norm. Doing good tech journalism takes far more time and effort than most writers are willing to invest in it, and even more sadly, than the publications seem to be demanding. The standards for accuracy and originality are set very low.

 

[patrick0brien]

More often than not, I'm afraid. Banal, recycled ideas, poorly researched opinions, and obvious cut-and-pastes from press releases are now the norm. Doing good tech journalism takes far more time and effort than most writers are willing to invest in it, and even more sadly, than the publications seem to be demanding. The standards for accuracy and originality are set very low.

-IJ Reilly

Yes, it seems the philosophy of the news these days is to get the story out (and be the one quoted by the others) before the other 2,000 press outlets do.

Remember the old days when there were something like 20? And the journalists had to run to payphones?

I'm afraid, like the majority of coputing experiences these days, journalizm is 'good enough' and not great.

I mean dragging irrelevant mush into an argument is the mark of a small mind. "The iTV is only good because of the switchover to Intel"

Hah?

 

[whooleytoo]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, (and I accept other articles might have been rubbish) but in this case it seems there's no pleasing you fanboys.

The problem was the article appears to have been cut and pasted, and mistakes made in the process. The paragraph in bold probably should have been the second last in the article, as it stands it's nonsensical.

 

[IJ Reilly]

-IJ Reilly

Yes, it seems the philosophy of the news these days is to get the story out (and be the one quoted by the others) before the other 2,000 press outlets do.

Remember the old days when there were something like 20? And the journalists had to run to payphones?

I'm afraid, like the majority of coputing experiences these days, journalizm is 'good enough' and not great.

I mean dragging irrelevant mush into an argument is the mark of a small mind. "The iTV is only good because of the switchover to Intel"

Hah?

It's been going steadily downhill for a long time. Ironically, technology is one of the reasons the decline has accelerated. Less and less original material is being generated, and of that which is being written, more and more is done carelessly in haste. Hardly anybody has the time to really learn a story, and I'm sorry to conclude, fewer and fewer seem to even care to learn it. Then their thoughtless garbage hits the wire services and is reprinted over and over.

I guess I'm more aggrieved about this than most. I used to be able to sell a bit of freelance technology writing, but not recently. I made a point of taking on subjects that I had not seen anyone else writing about, and researching them to the extent that if I expressed an opinion, at least it would be based on factual information. I'm sorry to report, one can hardly even give away this kind of work anymore.

 

[Kingsly]

There was no mention that it wasn't Apple who insisted upon DRM, that DRM existed before iTMS and almost every music store has it, that the iPod is probably the best music device and iTMS the best music store on their own - they're not dominating solely because of 'consumer lockin'.

Arrgh! Not to go OT, but don't you just want to gouge someone's eyes out when they complain about "Apple's" DRM and how unfair and stupid it is? SERIOUSLY PEOPLE!!!!!

 

[MentalFabric]

also every time they mention apple in the news on tv (including last night on a new iPod announcement) they show file footage and a photo of the 1st gen iPod being used

 

[bartelby]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, (and I accept other articles might have been rubbish) but in this case it seems there's no pleasing you fanboys.

Woohoo, one line in a whole article of crap! Well that more than makes up for all the mud slinging the BBC have done in the last x number of years!!!


And don't Fanboy me Mr RT!

 

[Savage Henry]

...the BBC just included for free a plug...

Umm .. no ... a 'free plug' is a positive marketing endorsement ... BBC is obliged by charter to be impartial. Whereas the article in question is a poorly researched hatchet job by some hack who has just got home after a long day.

 

[RedTomato]

Umm .. no ... a 'free plug' is a positive marketing endorsement ... BBC is obliged by charter to be impartial.

Dude, I worked for the BBC. (no longer thank god).

They do indeed plug stuff. They used to insert adverts for their house magazines between all the programmes till other magazines complained.

Inside a programme? There just has to be some thinly veiled editorial justification. E.g. Parky interviewing someone who has just released a new record. Plugaholia.

In this article, the focus is on ITunes. Somehow, there's an unrelated paragraph about how well Apple runs Windows. I call that a plug.

If you look at BBC News' technology page at the moment

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/default.stm

it almost completely revolves around Apple, and what other companies are doing about Apple. There's also an article saying the Zune is unlikely to do well BTW.

 

[Brize]

The problem was the article appears to have been cut and pasted, and mistakes made in the process. The paragraph in bold probably should have been the second last in the article, as it stands it's nonsensical.

Yep, that's how the article was when I first read it shortly after publication. The page has since been updated, and a mistake made in the process. As you say, it's just a cut and paste error, nothing more.