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What a turnaround! Just a few days ago everyone was highly sympathetic towards Apple losing one of their most valued secrets (not really all that much though) a

by ahk 16y ago

What a turnaround! Just a few days ago everyone was highly sympathetic towards Apple losing one of their most valued secrets (not really all that much though) and boycotting Gizmodo and everything. Now with even Jon Stewart mocking them, calling them Big Brother and asking them to look in the mirror, this has turned into a major PR disaster for Apple. IMO, if they don't respond quickly and positively, this could turn out to be the point where they start losing the coolness/"with it" factor.

sgman 16y ago
Judging from their past actions, I don't think they really care about the PR effect of this.
- jkincaid 16y ago
  I disagree. They don't care if a bunch of Apple fanboys or tech bloggers get upset about something, because the general public usually won't notice. Daily Show gets watched by a more mainstream audience, and I suspect it's a demographic that plays a big part in making Apple's products popular.
  - jsz0 16y ago
    It's definitely a more mainstream audience but The Daily Show, popular by cable TV standards, only gets about ~1 million viewers per episode or 10% the number of people who bought an iPhone in Q2 2010, or about 1% of the people who own an iPhone/Touch since its launch. So I guess my point is we're still talking about a very small audience.
- ahk 16y ago
  Maybe so, but I think it's different this time. Would you be able to walk into a Apple store again and buy something there knowing that this was a company that ordered the goons to break down the doors of some guy's house? Face all those cheery Apple employees and Geniuses and not silently think if they supported the actions of their company?
petercooper 16y ago
What a turnaround! Apple is the "A-list celebrity" of the tech/gadget industry. People both mock celebrities for minor faux pas and openly weep for their bad fortune.. so it goes with Apple.
Scriptor 16y ago
> Just a few days ago everyone was highly sympathetic towards Apple And just a few days before that everyone was angry about 3.3.1. :) This video still seemed pretty benign. However, I wonder if this is that start of shift in how people view Apple. They've had other criticisms, for sure, but this is one of the first times they're publicly called out as being oppressive.
- ryoshu 16y ago
  Some of us (programmers) are still upset over 3.3.1. We don't have the platform that the Daily Show has, but Apple will never receive another dollar from me. My brand new Studio XPS 16 is wonderful (the 1080p RGB LED screen is slick) and I'm glad I bought it instead of a MacBook Pro. Apple is free to screw over developers, and developers are free to vote with our wallets.
  - look_lookatme 16y ago
    I'm more upset over the HTC lawsuit (though aspects of 3.3.1 and the Gizmodo thing aren't helping). Apple is dishing chilling effects all over the place. Right now I've switched software, not sure when I'll be getting new hardware, but it most certainly won't be an Apple product -- for the first time since 2003. I realize they don't care about people like me and our perception of them, but that's not the point for me.
natmaster 16y ago
The sheep flock with the herd. @sheep: Please leave Hacker News.
vl 16y ago
>this has turned into a major PR disaster for Apple I think it's a major PR victory for Apple. Jon Stewart just told everybody that he loves Apple products, likes new iPhone, wants one and that Apple broke some doors. Now everybody knows that they have to get new iPhone this summer. This controversy spiked public interest and this media coverage would not be achievable for them even if they pay godzillion dollars.
- eavc 16y ago
  No, Jon Stewart just told everyone that Apple makes good gear but that they've become "the man." That's a big deal considering the nature of Apple's customer base.

by ahk 16y ago

sgman 16y ago

Judging from their past actions, I don't think they really care about the PR effect of this.

jkincaid 16y ago
I disagree. They don't care if a bunch of Apple fanboys or tech bloggers get upset about something, because the general public usually won't notice. Daily Show gets watched by a more mainstream audience, and I suspect it's a demographic that plays a big part in making Apple's products popular.
- jsz0 16y ago
  It's definitely a more mainstream audience but The Daily Show, popular by cable TV standards, only gets about ~1 million viewers per episode or 10% the number of people who bought an iPhone in Q2 2010, or about 1% of the people who own an iPhone/Touch since its launch. So I guess my point is we're still talking about a very small audience.
ahk 16y ago
Maybe so, but I think it's different this time. Would you be able to walk into a Apple store again and buy something there knowing that this was a company that ordered the goons to break down the doors of some guy's house? Face all those cheery Apple employees and Geniuses and not silently think if they supported the actions of their company?

petercooper 16y ago

What a turnaround! Apple is the "A-list celebrity" of the tech/gadget industry. People both mock celebrities for minor faux pas and openly weep for their bad fortune.. so it goes with Apple.

Scriptor 16y ago

> Just a few days ago everyone was highly sympathetic towards Apple And just a few days before that everyone was angry about 3.3.1. :) This video still seemed pretty benign. However, I wonder if this is that start of shift in how people view Apple. They've had other criticisms, for sure, but this is one of the first times they're publicly called out as being oppressive.

ryoshu 16y ago
Some of us (programmers) are still upset over 3.3.1. We don't have the platform that the Daily Show has, but Apple will never receive another dollar from me. My brand new Studio XPS 16 is wonderful (the 1080p RGB LED screen is slick) and I'm glad I bought it instead of a MacBook Pro. Apple is free to screw over developers, and developers are free to vote with our wallets.
- look_lookatme 16y ago
  I'm more upset over the HTC lawsuit (though aspects of 3.3.1 and the Gizmodo thing aren't helping). Apple is dishing chilling effects all over the place. Right now I've switched software, not sure when I'll be getting new hardware, but it most certainly won't be an Apple product -- for the first time since 2003. I realize they don't care about people like me and our perception of them, but that's not the point for me.

natmaster 16y ago

The sheep flock with the herd. @sheep: Please leave Hacker News.

vl 16y ago

>this has turned into a major PR disaster for Apple I think it's a major PR victory for Apple. Jon Stewart just told everybody that he loves Apple products, likes new iPhone, wants one and that Apple broke some doors. Now everybody knows that they have to get new iPhone this summer. This controversy spiked public interest and this media coverage would not be achievable for them even if they pay godzillion dollars.

eavc 16y ago
No, Jon Stewart just told everyone that Apple makes good gear but that they've become "the man." That's a big deal considering the nature of Apple's customer base.