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Meltdown over receiving a iPhone X review unit

Meltdown over receiving iPhone X review units late?

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    46
Bagaholic

Bagaholic

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 27, 2014
80
102
I just came across this article. I don't really read Yahoo! often but it came across my feed somewhere. Apologize if this was discussed before or posted in a wrong place. New to the forum :D

Personally, I think the meltdown is stupid. I think receiving a test unit in advance is a privilege and since Apple is now a household brand, appealing to a broader customer based outside of those who read tech blog religiously is understandable.

The only downside of this is that they are pressured to post a rushed 24hr quick look in order to not miss out on the traffic.

What do you think about this? Would be nice to see some replies and different point of views. Also, I'm specifically interested in your reaction of the bloggers. I've read speculations posts on Apple's possible intention of doing it this way already so I hope we can stay on topic.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/iphone-x-apple-made-big-014820707.html
 
That fashion blogger was terrible. May as well ask the cat for a opinion. iJustine is possibly the worst as nobody goes to her channel for tech insight. It's little horny teenage boys.
 
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I think he overreacted, but I tend to agree with those who are upset by it. Giving YouTubers early acess over actual tech journalists who do professional reviews would offend me if I were a journalist.
 
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Another case in point on what is wrong with our society today.. Entitlement. Apple had the units on display at the junket after the keynote. Anyone who is anyone in the tech world was allowed to play touchy feeley with them. It's Apple's decision on to whom and when test units are dispersed. They had their reasons and we will never know what they are. Could be simply that based on my fan theory, because of rush to market test units were simply not available. To lash out, even after being one of the very very few privileged to get an early look is just being a douchbag. I hope Apple never gives him the privilege again.
 
A bit of an over reaction. No need and no excuse to verbally attack a 19 year old and women. Those times are long past. It's 2017 now. I can see where the frustration would be, but it was handled all wrong. Besides, anyone who got a review unit should be happy. Period.
 
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Yes, an overreaction. Allowing YouTubers early access devalues the work of actual tech journalists though and if I were one of them, I would feel insulted.
 
simply_sami said:
That fashion blogger was terrible. May as well ask the cat for a opinion. iJustine is possibly the worst as nobody goes to her channel for tech insight. It's little horny teenage boys.
Click to expand...
I agree not worth watching.

And I agree with the premise here. Id much rather get a good in depth article from Daring Fireball,a pretty reputable Apple guy, than watch iDumbBlonde cry over an iphone how pretty it is.
 
Hoosier317 said:
Yes, an overreaction. Allowing YouTubers early access devalues the work of actual tech journalists though and if I were one of them, I would feel insulted.
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Not sure I agree there. The Youtubers got to play with them at an Apple Store, and had very clearly dictated marketing points. It was to build a little happy hype before the real reviews started. I don't think anyone that was waiting for Grubers review saw the silly Youtubers and decided to skip his.
 
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Whether you like it or not, the YouTubers have a reach into a different demographic and are probably more likely to "sell" the iPhone than tech journalists. We may all know and respect their opinions, but let's be realistic. In the real world, nobody knows and/or gives an eff what the tech journalists think. Sure, you may know a few people here and there who know about them and watch/read their reviews, but they aren't household names, especially for the younger demographic Apple is going for. Like it or not, the truth is A LOT of younger people are going to be more influenced by all these YouTubers. Getting emotional about it is immature.
 
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simply_sami said:
That fashion blogger was terrible. May as well ask the cat for a opinion. iJustine is possibly the worst as nobody goes to her channel for tech insight. It's little horny teenage boys.
Click to expand...
Which=$$$
Two things that make money:
1: sex
2: anything that caters to laziness.
 
Egos. Apple is taking advantage of social media marketing, totally different from traditional journalism. Gruber should already know that his audience and the millennial YouTube influence audience hardly overlap. He can’t begrudge how Apple chooses to target it’s various customer demographics. Trying to hold on to the traditional way of doing things without any adaptation is the quick way to irrelevancy for a tech company, any company really. This is nothing more than a feeling of not being first or no longer seen as being special on Gruber’s part. I get his concerns, but his lashing is unprofessional. Take that behind closed doors.
 
Bagaholic said:
I just came across this article. I don't really read Yahoo! often but it came across my feed somewhere. Apologize if this was discussed before or posted in a wrong place. New to the forum :D

Personally, I think the meltdown is stupid. I think receiving a test unit in advance is a privilege and since Apple is now a household brand, appealing to a broader customer based outside of those who read tech blog religiously is understandable.

The only downside of this is that they are pressured to post a rushed 24hr quick look in order to not miss out on the traffic.

What do you think about this? Would be nice to see some replies and different point of views. Also, I'm specifically interested in your reaction of the bloggers. I've read speculations posts on Apple's possible intention of doing it this way already so I hope we can stay on topic.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/iphone-x-apple-made-big-014820707.html
Click to expand...
Gruber's follow-up gives more perspective and context, though the Yahoo writer apparently can't be bothered by such things.

Apple Limits Extended iPhone X Testing for Most Reviewers

"I totally get including a bunch of YouTubers, and seeding review units to celebrities. YouTube is how young people get their news and reviews, and Apple definitely wants to reach young people. But I don’t get restricting real reviews to just three publications in the U.S. Leave me out of it, personally, just for the sake of argument here.​

This is the most anticipated new device from Apple at least since the original iPad. People want to know about it. People are craving in-depth reviews. This is just unsatisfying."

​
Let's all be less sensationalist and more level-headed, no?
 
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predation said:
Which=$$$
Two things that make money:
1: sex
2: anything that caters to laziness.
Click to expand...

3) vanity
4) entertainment
5) survival

Most people want to look good, feel good, and/or stay entertained, and most choose not to die if they can help it.
 
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100% lost respect for Gruber over his behavior when not getting one of the first units. Not a fan of Apple giving the review units to amateur reviewers as I would have loved an in-depth review of the phone -- the whole phone not just quips about the notch and interminable attempts to be the first to fool Face ID. Maybe Apple wanted that level of shallowness. It's Apple's phone though. No tech writer is entitled to a review phone even if they do have a brown Apple logo on their nose -- just talking about that man-child Gruber again.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
100% lost respect for Gruber over his behavior when not getting one of the first units. Not a fan of Apple giving the review units to amateur reviewers as I would have loved an in-depth review of the phone -- the whole phone not just quips about the notch and interminable attempts to be the first to fool Face ID. Maybe Apple wanted that level of shallowness. It's Apple's phone though. No tech writer is entitled to a review phone even if they do have a brown Apple logo on their nose -- just talking about that man-child Gruber again.
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I personally grew more weary of his political nonsense, but it’s his blog.
 
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I'm 30 and I consume most of my review stuff through YouTube videos, so I can assure you the younger audiences are certainly doing the same. They can provide details and hands-on looks that text journalism just cannot show you. To me, I get the impression these older journalists who still make a living off of print articles are getting upset because the modern age of media consumption is passing them by. There is a reason that most tech journalists are now creating accompanying videos with their reviews. I could be wrong, but that's just my take.
 
Cryates said:
I'm 30 and I consume most of my review stuff through YouTube videos, so I can assure you the younger audiences are certainly doing the same. They can provide details and hands-on looks that text journalism just cannot show you. To me, I get the impression these older journalists who still make a living off of print articles are getting upset because the modern age of media consumption is passing them by. There is a reason that most tech journalists are now creating accompanying videos with their reviews. I could be wrong, but that's just my take.
Click to expand...
Even Mossberg started doing companion videos before he retired.
 
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So are people not allowed to be sarcastic online now? Seriously his issue wasn't that he didn't get an early unit, it was with who got early units. For example the issue wasn't that Axios got an early unit, it was that instead of giving it to their tech reviewer who got one with the rest of the press they gave it to Mike Allen the Axios co-founder who then decided to give it to his nephew (against the NDA btw). Then of course there is the youtuber kid who was probably baked out of his mind.

Basically he wasn't salty about not getting an early unit, he was salty about some of the early units getting sent to people who did very poor "reviews"
 
This guy is salty because more people want to watch iJustine and other YouTubers obsess over an iPhone than his write-ups and reviews. On the other hand, Mashable got a week with the X because average people follow and watch their videos. Maybe he should try harder?
 
personally...

i'm getting the X regardless of all these reviewers..

any drama they have amongst themselves well.. i'm just in it for the lulz
 
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