Apple Kills a Blog; Let's Keep it in Context, Though
Today is a sad day. Plucky college kid Nick Ciarelli has agreed to close down his Apple rumor blog, Think Secret. Ciarelli has been publishing the site since he was 13, under the name Nick dePlume.
Apple filed a lawsuit in January 2005 to try and force Ciarelli to disclose his source inside the company for pre-announcement news. Think Secret disclosed the release of the Mac Mini and the iLife 05 software suite two weeks before Steve Jobs did on stage.
Today Ciarelli announced that an amiable resolution has been found and as part of his settlement he will shutter his blog. He will not disclose his source, thank goodness. He says he's satisfied with the settlement; he may have got a chunk of money out of the settlement as well, but the fact remains that he had to go through years of legal struggles and is now closing his blog.
Apple's incredible secrecy can only be expected to create a corresponding cadre of rumor blogs. It's like a symbiotic relationship, with rumor blogs stoking the fires of anticipation and occaisionally getting some things right. What's the big deal?
The whole thing is disgusting and makes this Apple customer all the less excited about future releases. Add this incredible bullying to my list of complaints - along with constant hardware problems and a desktop full of applications that can only be force-quit.
Some Context is Important
While the blogosphere is aflame with anger about this, and I think that's appropriate, it is important to remember the bloggers in other parts of the world who have been treated far worse than Nick Ciarelli. While he played a very fun game of cat and mouse with the makers of some of the world's most overpriced personal computers and has undoubtedly suffered terribly from the years of legal struggles, it certainly could have been worse.
Another college student named Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman is spending years in an Egyptian prison for blogging critically about Islam and the government he was born under. Another Egyptian, Wael Abbas, is presumably living his life on the run and had his YouTube account erased by Google after years of documenting government torture there.
Free speech and investigative journalism are of the utmost importance and none of these new media scribes deserve the treatment they are recieving. All of them, and many others, deserve our vehement support.
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Marshall: You reasoning re: keep it in context is a very, very, slippery slope. It is a matter of principal in my opinion, and I don't think that degrees of severity are actually as important. (although they do trigger slightly different emotions)
Marshall,
I agree with Jevon. Trying to analyze Apple's dictatorial behavior in context with other extreme scenarios does not make their actions correct one iota.
It seems we are not witnessing a democratization of distribution and production after all.
[I agree with Jevon, it is mostly a matter of principal]
I'm sorry if this post reads like I am excusing Apple's behavior at all - I'm just saying let's not forget about other people in worse situations who are dealing with issues related to the theme of free speech on blogs.
Forget about free speech though. Are we saying it's ok to have a blog (with obvious access to an inside source) continue leak information about a company?
Here is a snippet from the post: "Think Secret disclosed the release of the Mac Mini and the iLife 05 software suite two weeks before Steve Jobs did on stage".
I am not sure I understand. What does this have to do with free speech and investigative journalism?
BTW...I much prefer the new design over the old one.
Marshall
You're right - this isn't the Josh Wolf case. My guess is that Nick ended up with a pretty nice settlement.
The bigger picture here is that Apple's marketing strategy is based on marginalizing bloggers and critics and offering exclusives to a handful of mainstream publications that offer fluffer coverage (ie. Newsweek.) This is Karl Rove marketing.
What should concern bloggers is that Apple's approach works really, really well.
lol, James - I think you're right!
Guys, guys, guys...
Apple owns its business. Nick DePlume does not.
Dictators don't need courts; they dictate. This matter was settled via the legal process.
Yes, Apple deflects criticism while promoting itself — ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE is not new to business.
Apple can only marginalize bloggers when they cross the line, which Think Secret did by publicizing Apple's proprietary information unrelated to the well being of society. If Nick had reported that Apple's mice cause cancer, as an example, well, that's on this side of the line.
Freedom is not license. There are rules.
Why would apple marginalize bloggers? A lot of "A-list" bloggers are dumbass Maczealots. This is just an isolated case.
This article was very well done. I get what you were trying to say, Marshall, about other bloggers getting into much, much worse trouble (it's disgusting that Google disabled the guy's YouTube account; "Don't Be Evil" indeed.)
Apple's recent success relies heavily on hype from blogs; the thing is though, Apple has nothing to do with what the blogs write about. Steve Jobs is a control freak, and this is reflected in the design of Apple's systems (closed box, closed iPhone, etc..) If Steve Jobs can't control the blogs (which he couldn't, realistically,) then he's not going to trust them with the timed, disciplined disclosure of information; he leaves that up to 5th Avenue PR agencies that deal with print ads and publications.
On the other hand, Jobs is also aware that Apple has done such a good job in building up an energetic "cult" base that he doesn't even need to spend PR dollars disclosing anything to blogs since there is an army of Apple bloggers that already seek out and share Apple stories with little-to-no effort from the company itself.
So in short, even though Apple doesn't "use blogs" they really do need them.
Sebhelyesfarku & Aaronontheweb
Apple marginalizes bloggers by giving scoops to a handful of mainstream publications - ones that routinely write fluff pieces about Apple products. The early iPhone reviews, for example, all came from big mainstream pubs that always give Apple products positive reviews.
Does Apple give thorough, even-handed sites like Ars Technica any scoops? Never.
The first reviews that most people see for new Mac products come from well-respected mainstream pubs and they're always favorable.
Apple has this down to a science.
Blogs may be responsible for a lot of the chatter about Apple products, but Apple masterfully controls the discussion.
Great post, Marshall. Sadly, citizen journalism is getting choked out by big business. It doesn't matter if it's the Egyptian government or a private company, no one should try to kill free speech.
I, too, am a pissed off apple user. Apple's bullying and arrogance are going to get them in trouble as their consumer base shifts towards mainstream. Without respecting social media, I think they are looking to get caught in a PR nightmare.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons has Mac lost a lot of marketshare. I personally do not understand why they did not want someone creating buzz about their products. I guess its just paranoia raising its head.
Microsoft does this all the time with their MVP and partner programs. They provide information to people under the clause of NDAs and they know its going to get out before its suppose to. This creates a lot more buzz when the announcements are made and as a result they get a lot more bang for their advertising buck.
This group cry is pathetic. Incredible bullying? This kid got PAID TO STOP WORKING! Fired, with severance pay- from a company who (apparently) NEVER EMPLOYED HIM! If anything, this is an invitation to open up a new mac leak blog.
The author's blanket list of 'constant hardware problems and a desktop full of applications that can only be force-quit' has the tone of a child in a tantrum rather than a journalist on a top blog. When I am listening to a complainer, and I start hearing absolute words like "constant" and "full", a typically try to politely wrap up the conversation and try again later.
The release on the macsecret doesn't appear to be negative. On the contrary, it sounds like a guy who just sold a company: excited to move on and pursue his interests. He doesn't even say he's gonna miss it! If he's asking people to rally to his aid or throw a pity party, I missed it. May be evil Apple had a gun to his head as he posted false satisfaction in tears. Perhaps there is some jealousy out there... even latent or unconscious.
The ads thinksecret probly aren't hurting, and if the kid nick is in pain, he's keeping it a secret.
Nobody who owns a mac thinks they are overpriced.
Thomas Paine is turning over in his grave.
our "free press" is being bought out and litigated to death.
The overall effect of this action will only do the opposite of its intention.
- Apple gets bad publicity
- Nick gets even more support
I am glad to see that Nick hasnt been jailed for this like many other journalists.
We should send Nick after the Bush administration.
I agree with Richard in that Think Secret did cross the line when they decided to start disclosing confidential information about the company. However, I don't think those disclosures hurt Apple in any way, in fact, I would bet that they got consumers more excited about the product and basically just gave them free publicity.
I can understand both sides here and wish there was a way for this blog to stay even with Apples blessing.
Stick to the tech. Apple matters to your readers, and we don't need any special-ed high-handed "providing of context" to make us feel like we shouldn't care about ThinkSecret's demise.
You shouldn't care about the tech industry given that 5/6 human beings aren't young old enough, old enough or rich enough to own mobile phones much less computers, televisions, radios etc etc.
Stick to the tech.
ho great... A PC winnie going on about how Apple computers are overpriced and crash all the time to then transition into a dubious pseudo political parallel to cover up his anti-apple stand. I DO expect better from RWW...