7 ms·

I can't speak for MG, but Gruber and Marco definitely do not automatically dislike anything non-Apple. Read both of their writings on WebOS or Windows Metro UI

I can't speak for MG, but Gruber and Marco definitely do not automatically dislike anything non-Apple. Read both of their writings on WebOS or Windows Metro UI for a positive spin on non-apple products or their writing on Game Center, Ping, App Store reviews for an anti-Apple slant. Both men have a strong appreciation for usability, look-and-feel, intuitiveness and consistency in their electronic gadgets. They both get pigeon-holed as Apple apologists because Apple is the only major electronics manufacturer that seems to care one iota about these things, but when another company comes along and gets theses details right, neither Marco or Gruber will hesitate to praise them.

rat87 14y ago
Isn't Surface all Metro-y?
smackfu 14y ago
They will both give Apple the benefit of the doubt while not doing the same for others. Apple flaws are unimportant, others flaws are crazy bad. For instance, Gamecenter is just terrible on iOS. Looks tacky, barely works. How you treat that in a review is very revealing of your partisan positions. You could make it the centerpiece and how it shows that Apple is losing its touch in new features and is on a downward spiral. Or you could just ignore it.
- cpr 14y ago
  Just FYI: since the recent release of Loren Brichter's Letterpress app (wild success), the iOS cognoscenti on Twitter have been doing nothing but bashing Game Center from all directions--performance, reliability, etc.--, including Gruber.
  - smackfu 14y ago
    Yeah but it seems more like they are bemused by it thank actually seeing it as something to criticize Apple for. Plus there's the standard "Apple doesn't do web services well" thing that seems to excuse a lot.
    - leefx 14y ago
      I agree with you but "Apple doesn't do web services well" should NOT be an excuse anymore. When they're using and promoting iCloud and Siri as much as they do, they're in the 'web services' game.
kenjackson 14y ago
I call B.S. on this. Marco and Gruber are effectively Apple shills, but more clever than one like MG. Gruber and Marco are tactical in their praise of non-MS products. They'll praise something they think has no chance of threatening Apple. Despite Android's flaws, there's also tons of stuff in it worth praising, but you'll rarely (if ever) hear them say a peep about Android. Likewise, Surface is a LOT more threatening than Windows Phone. They don't view it as a cute toy, but rather a serious threat to the iPad. Don't you find it the least bit odd that Marco does a story about his experience at the MS store, with pictures of an empty store and never references any of the stories that talked about full stores? If Marco and Gruber actually like a new Windows device it likely means they don't think it will sell much. If they think it has potential, they'll find a way to bash it.
- JuDue 14y ago
  Gruber happily posted Wired's positive review of surface, commenting "Interesting review of an interesting device."
- cjamesk 14y ago
  Lets think about this whole concept of being an Apple shill for a moment. Assuming they are Apple shills, why do you think they are? What drives them? What factors created the Apple shill? What do they gain by being an Apple shill? Why do you think they care if the Surface does well? Because it would disprove some fragile mental modle they have where they place a more importance on aesthetics and interface than customizability and price? Why are they trying so hard to make Apple look good? Do they just think Apple's awesome without really thinking about it? How many articles do you think Marco's read about packed Microsoft stores? Based on most of his articles, he writes about his experiences without generally using aggregate data to come to some conclusion about anything. Maybe you have an issue with his methods here, but I don't think you're likely to find him talk about other people's experiences, especially people who he likely doesn't read. (ie. He's not going to do much research into other articles about Microsoft stores before writing this story.) Maybe you don't like that, but he's consistent about it. If someone wants to look up every article about MS stores, his can be one data point. Again, why do you think Gruber and Marco are actively trying to influence the sales of Apple devices? Do you think Gruber is doing it to get rich? He has a ton of stock and is trying to bump marketshare? I just can't find a reason that Marco and Gruber would directly lie about their thoughts on a product based on their predictions of future sales.

rat87 14y ago

Isn't Surface all Metro-y?

smackfu 14y ago

They will both give Apple the benefit of the doubt while not doing the same for others. Apple flaws are unimportant, others flaws are crazy bad. For instance, Gamecenter is just terrible on iOS. Looks tacky, barely works. How you treat that in a review is very revealing of your partisan positions. You could make it the centerpiece and how it shows that Apple is losing its touch in new features and is on a downward spiral. Or you could just ignore it.

cpr 14y ago
Just FYI: since the recent release of Loren Brichter's Letterpress app (wild success), the iOS cognoscenti on Twitter have been doing nothing but bashing Game Center from all directions--performance, reliability, etc.--, including Gruber.
- smackfu 14y ago
  Yeah but it seems more like they are bemused by it thank actually seeing it as something to criticize Apple for. Plus there's the standard "Apple doesn't do web services well" thing that seems to excuse a lot.
  - leefx 14y ago
    I agree with you but "Apple doesn't do web services well" should NOT be an excuse anymore. When they're using and promoting iCloud and Siri as much as they do, they're in the 'web services' game.

kenjackson 14y ago

I call B.S. on this. Marco and Gruber are effectively Apple shills, but more clever than one like MG. Gruber and Marco are tactical in their praise of non-MS products. They'll praise something they think has no chance of threatening Apple. Despite Android's flaws, there's also tons of stuff in it worth praising, but you'll rarely (if ever) hear them say a peep about Android. Likewise, Surface is a LOT more threatening than Windows Phone. They don't view it as a cute toy, but rather a serious threat to the iPad. Don't you find it the least bit odd that Marco does a story about his experience at the MS store, with pictures of an empty store and never references any of the stories that talked about full stores? If Marco and Gruber actually like a new Windows device it likely means they don't think it will sell much. If they think it has potential, they'll find a way to bash it.

JuDue 14y ago
Gruber happily posted Wired's positive review of surface, commenting "Interesting review of an interesting device."
cjamesk 14y ago
Lets think about this whole concept of being an Apple shill for a moment. Assuming they are Apple shills, why do you think they are? What drives them? What factors created the Apple shill? What do they gain by being an Apple shill? Why do you think they care if the Surface does well? Because it would disprove some fragile mental modle they have where they place a more importance on aesthetics and interface than customizability and price? Why are they trying so hard to make Apple look good? Do they just think Apple's awesome without really thinking about it? How many articles do you think Marco's read about packed Microsoft stores? Based on most of his articles, he writes about his experiences without generally using aggregate data to come to some conclusion about anything. Maybe you have an issue with his methods here, but I don't think you're likely to find him talk about other people's experiences, especially people who he likely doesn't read. (ie. He's not going to do much research into other articles about Microsoft stores before writing this story.) Maybe you don't like that, but he's consistent about it. If someone wants to look up every article about MS stores, his can be one data point. Again, why do you think Gruber and Marco are actively trying to influence the sales of Apple devices? Do you think Gruber is doing it to get rich? He has a ton of stock and is trying to bump marketshare? I just can't find a reason that Marco and Gruber would directly lie about their thoughts on a product based on their predictions of future sales.