Are the press too busy with their mouths full of Apple's balls to cover the trial fairly?

[Serapth]

That is what this article seems to suggest. It is always difficult to read any Apple coverage ( on either side ), due to the inherit fanboyism that has developed, but this trial really does feel quite disturbing. Worse of all, it sounds like two completely different trials depending on whose coverage you read. Does tech press suck so bad that they are entirely incapable of being impartial? On this case they are making the Huffington Post and Fox News seem downright balanced!

From the article:


There's nothing fair about courtroom antics. Lawyers seek to win by any means legal precedents allow. But I find it kind of strange that the news reporting is double-standard, if for no other reason than omission. There are thousands of blogs and news stories kicking Samsung for copying -- essentially making a value judgment -- while ignoring Apple antics that prevent the other side from telling its story. I make no value judgment. I expect lawyers to behave like those making Apple's case. My point is something else: The standard of fairness applied by bloggers, journalists and other writers.

Reporting about this case is consistently tunnel vision that ignores Apple's behavior, broader legal context and business practices as a whole. Bloggers, journalists and other writers become Apple PR pawns -- like their predecessors did during the government's case against Microsoft, which severely damaged the software giant's brand. When the brand is damaged, there is even more presumption of guilt.



Have you been following the trial? If so, have you found the tech coverage just as atrocious as I have?

[muddi900]

I unsubscribed to Gizmodo long ago...

[civil_dead]

I'll take Neutral Thread Titles for $200, Alex.

[Gorvi]

Originally Posted by civil_dead

I'll take Neutral Thread Titles for $200, Alex.

But this thread title isn't neutral at..... Oh! Clever, you.

[digitalErich]

This is one of those examples I point to when the whole "bloggers are journalists, too man" thing comes up.

I'm not saying they can't be, but the vast majority of bloggers are not, and seemingly don't care to be.

[J Arcane]

Originally Posted by digitalErich

This is one of those examples I point to when the whole "bloggers are journalists, too man" thing comes up.

I'm not saying they can't be, but the vast majority of bloggers are not, and seemingly don't care to be.

ESPECIALLY in the tech and video games press, where there's a lot of writers who're just desperate nerds easily cowed with free stuff.

[Ink Asylum]

A thread title with heavy bias, lewd metaphors, and a typo. It's a trifecta of awful.

[biosc1]

I do agree, though. For example, you can read two articles on the latest Samsung document revelation regarding how they made bullet points about what makes the iPhone a better product than theirs at the time (ie...just seeing what your competitor is doing).

One article will say it shows that Samsung full well copied Apple and are guilty.

Another article will say Samsung was just doing what every business does: evaluating the competition to see what they are doing right / wrong.

The trial seems ridiculous to me especially when you see all the prior art of the older Samsung phones. The Apple saying is: "Copy from your competitors, great. They copy from us: sue".

Having said that, all this trial does is prevent us, the consumer, from getting better phones.

[Vigil80]

Originally Posted by biosc1

Having said that, all this trial does is prevent us, the consumer, from getting better phones.

I have to admit that I'm far less concerned about who did what to whom in terms of the letter of the law than I am about the consequences for consumers and the market.

Is it because I'm chaotic good?

[Serapth]

The part that kills me in all of this are in fact the patents Apple is suing over. Every fucking on of them I have read about it either a) blows my mind this was granted a patent in the first place b) is surrounded by so much prior art as to be mind blowing c) both.


In many ways, this trial is demonstrating everything that is wrong with the US Patent Office.


It is a stupid move on Apples behalf too as first off, their patent base isn't that big. Meanwhile Samsung actually provides the chips that Apple uses! You pull this kind of bullshit and companies are no longer going to deal with you. If Microsoft, Google (Motorola ), HTC and Samsung all decide to wield their patent portfolio against Apple, with the current legal system, Apple is fucking dead.


Beyond that fact, Apple is most likely going to cause the pool of FRAND patents to shrink, which ruins things for all of us.

[Darkmatter]

Last thing I read about the trial was some small update that brought up the worry that the judge was favouring Apple in a big way. I have no idea if its true or not though, because to really find out it would probably take me the rest of the day to study all the parts of the trial. /lazy

[Deimos]

I've only been following the trial on ArsTechnica which seems to put out fairly balanced peices 9/10 times. I wouldn't look to many other blogs for serious coverage of anything tech-related.

[biosc1]

Originally Posted by Serapth

It is a stupid move on Apples behalf too as first off, their patent base isn't that big. Meanwhile Samsung actually provides the chips that Apple uses! You pull this kind of bullshit and companies are no longer going to deal with you. If Microsoft, Google (Motorola ), HTC and Samsung all decide to wield their patent portfolio against Apple, with the current legal system, Apple is fucking dead.

Samsung would be cutting off their head to spite the nose (is that the saying I'm looking for?)

Another company would easily step up and produce the chips Apple desires if Samsung backed away from that deal. I'm sure Samsung would lose more money in that case.

What will end up happening is Samsung will have to end up paying some sort of licensing fee to Apple, yada yada...

[Serapth]

Originally Posted by biosc1

Samsung would be cutting off their head to spite the nose (is that the saying I'm looking for?)

Another company would easily step up and produce the chips Apple desires if Samsung backed away from that deal. I'm sure Samsung would lose more money in that case.

What will end up happening is Samsung will have to end up paying some sort of licensing fee to Apple, yada yada...

You realize that Apple is going for 100% of profits in this case, right?

Frankly the nuclear option is probably a worthwhile one.

Also, if Apple keeps pulling this shit on their partners, don't expect too many people to step up to the plate.

Besides, no fucking way IBM or Motorola will get back in bed with Apple after their histories. If I recall correctly, Intel was rather pissed at Apple lately too over some betrayal ( thunderbolt maybe, I forget what ). I also recall reading recently about Apple being shunned among standards organizations ( I can search a bit more into this if needed ). Eventually you will end up a company on your own.


As an interesting aside, Microsoft may be heading down the same road. They are pissing off a lot of people by making their own hardware, and now, trying to launch their own app store. Not to mention the gigantic reaming they gave to Nokia with the whole WinPhone 7 fiasco.


If you become known as a beligerant backstabbing company, you may quickly find yourself shut out of many opportunities and facing enemies at all gates.

[biosc1]

Originally Posted by Serapth

You realize that Apple is going for 100% of profits in this case, right?

Frankly the nuclear option is probably a worthwhile one.

Also, if Apple keeps pulling this shit on their partners, don't expect too many people to step up to the plate...

Eventually you will end up a company on your own.

Well, Apple does have the money to buy the manufacturers if needed...

Originally Posted by Serapth

As an interesting aside, Microsoft may be heading down the same road. They are pissing off a lot of people by making their own hardware, and now, trying to launch their own app store. Not to mention the gigantic reaming they gave to Nokia with the whole WinPhone 7 fiasco.

If Nokia felt so reamed, why are they producing a line of Windows 8 phones? The Nokia 700/800/900 series phones have done well enough in the marketplace and the 800/900 were well reviewed (700 was a very low-end phone)

Also, there seems to be a large number of hardware manufacturers lining up to produce Windows RT devices

Basically, the companies with money and popularity can still trample the others

[Khrymsyn]

One thing that really concerned me was that the judge said in a "prior art" defense of samsung's, that previous movies and TV footage was not allowed to be entered in as evidence in support of their design in argument with Apple's patent...

In other words, part of Samsung's defense was that a tablet type computing device was completely designed visually and even shown in usage in 2001 and Star Trek : TNG, and the judge said they don't count as prior art.

Struck me as a bit odd.

[biosc1]

Originally Posted by Khrymsyn

Struck me as a bit odd.

It was lawyer mumble jumble. Samsung screwed up in how they presented the evidence or something. Apple had it dismissed. Nonsensical in the real-world, but workable in the legal system.

[MagGnome]

The coverage of this case has been abysmal, so much so that I stopped following it. I get enough Apple ball-gargling from several of my friends...I don't need to read it online as well. So many people would be screaming if Apple had been sued here, but instead they are cheering them on like some sort of hero. It's disgusting.

Apple went from being the underdog to being a bully.

[MagGnome]

Originally Posted by J Arcane

ESPECIALLY in the tech and video games press, where there's a lot of writers who're just desperate nerds easily cowed with free stuff.

The word "journalist" gets overused far too often in the tech and video game world. PR flackies who throw out high scores like candy and slobber over their favorite brands are not journalists.

Apple Insider, for example, IS NOT JOURNALISM!

Originally Posted by Serapth

Besides, no fucking way IBM or Motorola will get back in bed with Apple after their histories. If I recall correctly, Intel was rather pissed at Apple lately too over some betrayal ( thunderbolt maybe, I forget what ). I also recall reading recently about Apple being shunned among standards organizations ( I can search a bit more into this if needed ). Eventually you will end up a company on your own.

Isn't Motorola owned by Google now? With all of the shots Apple is taking at Google (such as Apple's mapping stuff in the new iOS), it wouldn't surprise me if Motorola/Google distanced their relationship with Apple.

I'm sure I'm coming off as an anti-Apple fanboy, but I don't like any company that wields too much power and starts swinging punches at their competitors. We don't need monopolies in any market, tech included.

[Serapth]

Originally Posted by MagGnome

The word "journalist" gets overused far too often in the tech and video game world. PR flackies who throw out high scores like candy and slobber over their favorite brands are not journalists.

Apple Insider, for example, IS NOT JOURNALISM!




Isn't Motorola owned by Google now? With all of the shots Apple is taking at Google (such as Apple's mapping stuff in the new iOS), it wouldn't surprise me if Motorola/Google distanced their relationship with Apple.

I'm sure I'm coming off as an anti-Apple fanboy, but I don't like any company that wields too much power and starts swinging punches at their competitors. We don't need monopolies in any market, tech included.

No, Motorla mobility is what Google bought. The company split in two before selling.