Why Apple Doesn't Blog - Vaporware 91
DECS writes "If anyone is still wondering why Apple does not encourage its internal developers to maintain blogs, Roughly Drafted is carrying an example of how the good intentions behind sharing information can result in unpleasant, unintended consequences." From the article: "As customers, we all want to know what's going to happen in the future, but we will also turn around and beat developers with the very information they share with us. One of the terms we hit them with is, of course, vaporware. The other thing about blogs is that written text fails to capture the full range of rich human communication. It's easy to take more offense than is necessary to the wrong choice of words. Minor and casual criticism can quickly ferment into a difficult stink, and attempts to burry it can often just make it worse. Blog entries are like emails that cc: to the entire world."
"Apple" doesn't blog, but... (Score:5, Informative)
Dave Hyatt's (now WebKit's) Surfin' Safari [webkit.org] is one notable example of success, with Apple engineers being able to directly blog and communicate with end customers. It has now become a blog for all of WebKit, where other WebKit contributors - some within Apple and some not - can post as well.
Mac OS forge [macosforge.org] (and the hosted sites within it) is another recent example: Apple engineers, blogging, on servers owned and hosted by Apple. This wouldn't have happened a few years ago, and was a result of responses to community concerns about Apple's interaction with the open source community. (And no, it's still far from perfect, but the interaction is increasing, and that's a good thing.)
Both of these examples of Apple blogs are also open for comments, something some corporate "blogs" don't allow.
So are these "official Apple blogs" in every sense of the phrase, or in the vein that the article is intending to discuss? Maybe not, but it represents a lot more openness than Apple ever used to exhibit in this context. And anything greater than zero is "more open". Will Apple ever open up blogging to just anyone or blog about futures and abstract ideas? Unlikely. But there are notable exceptions to the blanket statement that "Apple doesn't blog".
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Nice, a new set of blogs to troll.
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That's an interesting assertion. A company can be "closed" in a number of different ways, and I think being somewhat secretive about product development plans is not at all unusual. Apple just gets a lot more attention in this area.
I think it's more interesting to ask how "closed" a company is with respect to information its customers or partners actually need to know. For example, ar there APIs that the Apple reserves for itself to give itself a competitive adva
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Apple also has a tendency to release "closed" un-hackable hardware without room for third-party extensions, it is also "closed" in that it does not license it's software to run on other hardware... and I h
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Really? How are Apple's tower form factor computers from the last decade been less hackable than a PC? They've got PCI slots and open bays just like any desktop. You basically have a choice, go tower if you want internal expansion, or go compact form factor and don't have room. This seems reasonable to me. There's no room for expansion in the Mini because that defeats the purpose.
Apple has been a m
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Providing PCI slots means nothing if there is not an open process that promotes driver development. And Linux and the BSD projects have proven that third party developers can incorporate support for peripherals based on PCI when there is an open interface to code to.
Plenty of us have 'dead end' Power Mac hardware with plenty of PCI slots in them.
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You are making my point. If the hardware was closed, then there would be no
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understatement (Score:1)
I think that's an understatement - do you remember apple even SUED apple-fans who correctly guessed what apple was planning next... it has to be a big secret, until steve HIMSELF announces it in his keynote speach - I guess because his image would suffer, if he presented something that the people already expected...
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Re:Apple (Score:4, Funny)
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A hint (Score:1, Interesting)
Or, more to the point, Apple doesn't want their customers waiting for the new versions that may have the features that their customers really want. Apple wants their customers buying every release; not just the realeases that have the features that the customers want.
Apple, the World'
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I think the GP was referring to consumer devices like the iPod and consume
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"Or, more to the point, Apple doesn't want their customers waiting for the new versions that may have the features that their customers really want. Apple wants their customers buying every release; not just the realeases that have the features that the customers want."
Oh please. Apple does't force anyone to upgrade, not the way certain other dominant OS companies do. If you jump every time Apple releases a new software version, you are generally on the bleeding edge. Most Apple users -- heck, most comp
Instead of asking... (Score:5, Insightful)
So what would be the answer? "Because everybody is doing it!". "because I want to know what they are up to!". "I love Apple and I want to get constant news and articles about Apple!". Well, none of those are a valid reason for blogs, really.
Instead of asking...Soap Operas. (Score:1, Funny)
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-- Brian Boyko
-- Professional Blogger.
Blogging is, at best, a mixed bag for product dev. (Score:3, Insightful)
That is one motivating factor to use a blog. However, this is not sufficient reasoning to justify it. There are reasons not to as well.
First, if your product developers blog, they may be giving your competition advanced notice of what you are up to much sooner than you otherwise
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Seriously though, I don't Apple really needs to worry about this, there are plenty of "non-official" Apple blogs out there, probably more for Apple than any other vender.
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Yeah, because Apple has a real problem "reaching audiences." I mean, who ever heard of an iPod? They seem to think that TV commercials and word-of-mouth alone will sell the things.
they increase the amount of feedback you receive from your customers, and they provide a way to mine your user base for ideas.
If [macrumors.com] only [mac-forums.com] there [slashdot.org] were [macworld.com] some [macnn.com] website [appleinsider.com] where [lowendmac.com] Apple [applelinks.com] could [thinksecret.com] gather [macintouch.com] user [macminute.com] opinions [macfixit.com] and [ipodlounge.com] feedback [digg.com].
-- Brian Boyko
-- Pro
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Apple should encourage blogging because openness and transparency are good things. Openness forces a company to behave ethically, which is good for customers but bad for companies. They prefer to keep their customers in the dark because it shifts the risk on to the customer, and when the customer complains, they get routed to professional "customer service" divisions whose job is to deflect criticism and insulate the developers and the rest of the company from the true impact of their decisions.
What I fin
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When you're marketing smoke and mirrors, you need a contained space to do so from.
Five minutes of my life back please (Score:5, Insightful)
Enough with links to blogs of people who - in Wikipedia terms - are not notable.
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They have yet to deliver for whatever reason.
It's not technological as BEOS did it in the early 90's and then modified it for improved performance.
MSFT routinely annouces features and products and either fails to deliver or takes 5 years to do so.
Apple promises nothing up front, So when they start releasing news on a product you know for a fact that the product in question will have those features. Hence why Apple is building _____Blank r
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Part of 'technological' is implementation.
Be, Inc. could 'turn on a dime' since their userbase was a small group of enthusiasts.
Why should I 'trust' either company. Both Apple and Microsoft are fronted by marketing shills who want to 'present their product in the best light.' Obviously both groups are going to hype their wares.
It isn't an either/or proposition. Thank goodness.
Don't know about that (Score:2)
I don't know if I agree with the reasoning. I have never read the SA agreement, but I'm sure it's full of legalese that absolves MS of any liability should they not deliver a new upgrade within 3 years.
i.e. "S
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Not necessarily. That just means no one actually ever filed suit. But potential lawsuits are not typically reported by the media unless one side or the other makes public statements about the legal threat (or there was a leak).
Hypothetical: Acme Widgets Corp. buys a SA license in 2001. Microsoft doesn't Vista deli
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"Tell us what you're going to do. Then do it" (Score:5, Interesting)
Developers, she said, had been begging Apple for one thing: "Tell us what you're going to do. Then do it."
Avoiding all talk of the future is a seemingly risk-averse strategy, but it carries risks of its own. If a company wants developers to be ready consistently on day one of new-product introductions, they need to have a reliable roadmap.
Accusations of vaporware are a real problem, but I at least suspect that one of the reaons why companies hate discussions of futures by technical people is that it provides a public record of changes in internal direction, inconsistent decisions by executives, etc. which can be embarrassing to the company.
From the mouths of TFA: (Score:5, Funny)
"...written text fails to capture the full range of rich human communication. It's easy to take more offense than is necessary to the wrong choice of words. Minor and casual criticism can quickly ferment into a difficult stink, and attempts to burry it can often just make it worse."
I'm glad that never happens here at Slashdot!
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Worse for everyone, worse for the northern England and Scottish readers, or for everyone but them?
See burry(3) [webster.com] and burr(n:5a,5b) [webster.com].
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Ironically, the replies were a nice punctuation to the author's prophetic but misspelled point.
They do it to keep selling end of line products (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm not sure this is still a wise thing to do when they are entering new markets, as the much rumoured iPhone would do (if it exists). I need a new phone, but I'm holding off until Macworld San Franciso because of the rumours, rather than being tied in to a 12 or 18 month deal on a cometitor's product - which must be good for Apple if the rumours are true, and better if they publically said "we will ship an iPhone soon", as more people would wait.
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In Short (Score:2)
Or more to the point, Dictionaries whose definitions aren't what I think they should be are wrong.
What a Moron.
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while not exactly on topic ... (Score:1, Offtopic)
I mean there are a very few that reach this lofty goal, most notably
Not exactly "Vaporware" anymore, more of a running joke
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Plasmaware? Vaporware that's so diffuse, it's basic structure breaks down into a cloud of subatomic particles...
one way vs. two way street (Score:5, Insightful)
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By posting anything online, I feel that an author is implicitly looking for feedback from others, whether he wishes to admit it or not.
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There is nothing inherently wrong with one-way communications.
Pre-announcing would kill the buzz (Score:3, Interesting)
vaporware distinctions (Score:3, Interesting)
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Chuq Von Rospach & blogging from Apple (Score:5, Informative)
Chuq Von Rospach, 17.5 year veteran of Apple, well known for his insights into email / usenet / web issues, did a series of blog entries on how Apple communicates. He went into, from his former privilaged position inside Apple, about how & why it communicates how it does, and what it is like being a communicator for Apple, officially & unofficially.
The postings about Apple & blogging start at Why Apple doesn't have a blogging policy (it ain't what you think....) and then goes for a few days, with responses to/from other bloggers.
Interesting stuff, insightful, and first-person from someone who was on the inside.
Re:Chuq Von Rospach & blogging from Apple (Score:4, Informative)
Not like email (Score:1)
No they are not because an email is sent proactively to a limited audience whereas a blog
you know the audience are people who are seeking out that communication and you the sender
do not necessarily know who the audience is.
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Then try a different station at Caffe Macs.
Author's comments...ugh. (Score:3, Insightful)
Just STFU already!
Daniel Eran, RDM | Homepage | 12.08.06 - 8:48 am | #
This in response to a lengthy comment posted with plenty of meat to it as a counterpoint. This is the author's way of defending his article?
This should be filed under "Stick-Your-Tongue-Out-And-Scream-Until-The-Other
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[this was a fraud posting purporting to be from the site author but actually made by 81.169.180.248]
If it doesn't sound like Daniel Eran, it probably isn't Daniel Eran.
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Also, it's nearly impossible to figure out whether it's a Daniel Eran posting or not. A lot of your "legit" comments sound exactly like those "fake" comments--insulting and condescending. Like this one in response to VGPowerlord below:
"So go roll in Digg and leave the bits of the web that are not yet as stupid alone."
As opinion goes (Score:1)
C'mon even 0/0 now makes Nulity!!!
Well, this is what i say: Vaporware IS Vaporware, sometimes FEEL like vaporware, and if someon
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Counting paragraphs until the first MS bash (Score:2)
My guess is 5.
Now to count... Wow, I was way off. The first one (veiled insult) doesn't appear until paragraph 11.
However, I did correctly predict that it would bash Microsoft, so I was right in one respect.
I can summarize this article in one sentence: Apple doesn't blog because Microsoft sucks
Re:Counting paragraphs until the first MS bash (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, you sound like somebody watching the Daily Show saying, OMG, I know that Jon Stewart is going to make some comment about Bush... THERE, THERE IT IS!!!
As for Digg: it exists to tell weak-minded people what they already think they know. More than 80% of it is now PR fluff and other inoffensive written-for-digg articles that say nothing, and are commented on by people like yourself, who add nothing to the conversation apart from hypocrisy, impune bad motives without any proof, and generally suck.
So go roll in Digg and leave the bits of the web that are not yet as stupid alone.
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You made no mention of the dig-spamming accusation (for which the author exposed some very compelling evidence).
Regardless of what you think of Digg, it isn't right to offset the votes of other users. Maybe they just don't like your writing.
I'm boycotting your site until you address this issue. I'm a writer myself, but I'm not about to 'cheat' just to get people to read my material.
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I plead not guilty. I haven't set up any of the accounts in his McCarthy witchhunt.
If you were a Digg user, or if you review the comments on articles submitted, you'd know that many people accused of being sybils on his list replied with "WTF? I'm just a user" You'd also know that "lackawack," or Mike Caddick, who si
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First of all, I was asking you to address those accusations, not accusing you myself.
I looked at the facts (which is the only reason I called you on it). I looked at 5 (randomly) of the list of 60 and went back to the first 'dugg' articles. All b
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Anyone who has a website that has been on Digg knows that 1000 diggs = about 40,000 unique visits. That suggests only 1 in about 40 people Digg an article
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When you see words on a page, you invent your own thoughts as to how they were intended. When an actor reads lines from Shakespere, it's his or her job to put meaning into them, reflecting the intent and context in which those words were intended.
Any idiot can read classical literature and miss 90% of the meaning, just as any office worker can fire out an email that comes across wrong, or any blogger can type out a brain dump that rea
The Real reason why Apple doesn't promote blogging (Score:2)
Everyone here is talking as if Apple would be excoriated for vaporware. Vaporware is usually software, not hardware, though some hardware can be vapor -- just not usually.
The real reason why Apple doesn't promote blogging and also the real reason why Jobs is so careful to go after websites that predict (accurately sometimes) what Apple will be releasing is because Steve Jobs met and knew Adam Osbourne. While the effect [wikipedia.org] that is named after his is urban legend, Jobs is very interested in not making a suicida
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I actually wrote about the Osborne Effect back when the Register was announcing how Intel Macs would kill Apple's sales before it could ever deliver them.
Why Apple won't suffer the Osborne Effect [roughlydrafted.com]
I also added notes from the article I wrote into that Wikipedia
TFA: Missed Point; ATG (Score:2)
And here is where Apple got burned.
Showing the cool stuff often meant exposing research and development to
Here's one Apple developer's blog (Score:1)
He's member of Apple's AppKit team (i.e. he develops both the AppKit and Foundation frameworks).