UK iPhone news..

[kapowaz]

Deluded? Ah come on, no need for name-calling. At least provide some evidence to back up your theory. If you can't do that then you've no basis for being so abrasive. That Apple indulge in standard business practice isn't being disputed. My point was only that the larger part of the hype we've witnessed was self-propagated by the press itself.

Disagree? Then prove it wasn't.

[dangel]

Disagree? Then prove it wasn't.

Ok, equally, prove it was. Silly arguement. I'm not calling you names (this isn't school) - but pointing out your dillusional if you don't think Apple are very (very) good at PR and marketing and don't do their utmost to foister stories in the press (as any other company does!). Stick up a poll on here and ask people what they think - after all, it's us end consumers that PR targets so very well. You claimed all the hype was from the press - "The hype has been generated purely by the media itself" which is what I was responding to.. I'm sure Apple will be glad they no longer need to pay their PR guys - now that the press is doing all the work for them and the brand is completely self sustaining - disagree? I do.

I'm not alone - http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/node/3982 from way back when. Or http://www.abcmoney.co.uk/news/26200793400.htm from more recently. Even better - http://publicrelationsrogue.wordpress.com/page/2/ (Apple’s Marketing Model)
Heard of viral marketing? Seeding the press? Online PR? Engagement? Then talk to people in PR, it's just the way things work. Yes the press plays a large part but if you think Apple's campaign is limited to a few ads and press releases then you are very, very wrong. So how about that poll?

[kapowaz]

Okay, this is getting silly. I already linked to Apple's PR library page for this year, which shows a grand total of eight press releases regarding the iPhone. In seven months. Eight. But then this wasn't what you were referring to, was it? You were making out that Apple is employing some sort of cloak-and-dagger moves, manipulating the media industry to talk about the iPhone more and more and more. I asked you to prove that they were. You've denied and instead suggested I prove they didn't. This is a logical fallacy. Equally, putting it to a poll does not make something true. A poll is a measure of opinion, not truth.

I find the first of those articles you link to to be rather amusing though, particularly for this quote:

... Rather, I'm talking about a massively successful PR campaign done primarily by volunteers ...

Volunteers. That is to say, not employees of Apple. Whether the story starts with some official Apple PR person leaking the story, or an employee doing it of their own volition is a subject of debate, but then like I've said before, the burden of proof is on you to show that it was one or the other, not for me to refute it.

The statement I made in the first place was that the larger part of the hype surrounding the iPhone was externally-generated; by a public obsessed with Apple's products, by a media obsessed with bigging-up/knocking down Apple, by pundits in various different technology fields (all now with a common focal point) and by attention-seeking zealots. Apple doesn't really need to do anything to 'seed' such a fertile environment for hype. All Steve Jobs needs do is stand up on stage and say: "One more thing..."

[dangel]

For you Apple exists in a different reality from every other company, point well and truely missed (sadly). We could keep going over and over this till our fingers bleed - it's obvious you're entrenched in your beliefs when it comes from Apple (and not just from this thread).

[Chimaera_5]

If you visit the Apple rumour sites regularly you'll see that whenever they receive photos purporting to be of unreleased Apple products, Apple legal quickly demands they be taken down. There's not much hype to be generated from that sort of thing.

This is a perfect example of Apple media hype, they smack down any rumours with the force of their legal team which makes the media think that Apple are planning something big, and in turn cranks up the anticipation.

Take the iPhone for example, Apple never denied they were making an 'iPod Phone' which is a subtle form of hype, let the media build it up and then let Jobs do his thing.

Apple are very clever in their marketing, they say things like "this will revolutionise the market", or "the iPhone is 5 years ahead of anything else" or "Safari on PC is 2x faster than any other browser". We all know its not true but the media lap it up like dogs and hype the product for them.

[iamtheoneneo]

funny thing is well trusted websites out there that have been reviewing and re-reviewing the iphone after a period of days say its simply not worth it. it may be a nice bit of kit but many of them have cancelled there rediculous contracts where one review ended up paying over $150 a month.

its a nice phone but its simply not worth the amount of money they want for it - after all apple get x2 profit from every phone sold and good knows what else from exclusivity deals with mobile phone vendors

and yes apple hype up there products no end.

[kapowaz]

The saddest thing about this thread is that nothing I said was said from the point of view of an Apple enthusiast, but of a logically reasoned individual. I made comments - and criticised others - based purely on the ill-founded logic of their statements. Nowhere is the fact that that the negative proof logical fallacy addressed. Instead we have yet more people crowing the same tired refrain of how Apple hypes their goods, never citing their evidence or reasoning.

So that makes it true, right?

iamtheoneneo: Care to point us to the 'trusted websites' out there that are saying 'its simply not worth it'? It's not like it's hard for you to post a link or two, and it'd lend your voice far more credibility. I'm not saying you're wrong and that these stories don't exist, but I have gone to the trouble of backing up what I've said with the same, so can you not do that?

Also, how can you justify the statement that it's not worth the asking price when you have never used one? You are deferring to the opinions of others without actually substantiating them. Would you be so critical of another company's products without actually trying them?

The only interesting comment since my previous post is in Chimaera_5's musing about how Apple smacks down when things get leaked. In my experience this happens almost as much with spoof products as with real ones (I recall a very convoluted fake for a product not long before the release of the first Mac mini, called something like the Mac home, which was photographed being unboxed in a lift!). Recently, videos which were alleged to be of the interface for a forthcoming iPod model were online for mere hours before being removed at the request of Apple legal. And yet, the recent photos of the alleged new iMac keyboard are still online without a legal request in sight. I try to stay on the button with such news, and yet I never got to see the iPod videos, despite checking within hours of their posting. How exactly does this generate hype when only a handful of people see them? I'm not entirely sure this haphazard approach is really effective marketing.

Anyway, I'm getting bored of debating issues orthogonal to the iPhone. Believe what you want about Apple, about a device you've not seen, touched or used, about their marketing team, about their business goals and plans. I've seen enough in this thread to suggest that a number of you reckon you understand it well enough to be doing it for a living (which begs the question: why aren't you?) but there's only so much refuting delusions of grandeur I've stomach for.

Especially with a belly full of whisky.

[dangel]

I suppose it all makes sense - viewed through a whisky bottle.. TBH I stand by my sentiment - you have no idea what your talking about when it comes to PR (and yes, I do have some insight into the area) and the only 'evidence' you've drummed up are a handful of press releases sighting them as the sole output of Apple's PR dept for the iPhone. That's ridiculous plain and simple: Apple's PR is well noted within the industry (from my earlier link) "the most interesting story is perhaps the marketing and PR model driven by Apple to make this story so prominent" (on the iPhone) or "Much has been written about the incredible talent (or dastardly skill depending on your viewpoint) Apple has to fuel momentum and coverage for its product launches." The really annoying thing is that i'm actually complementing Apple - not slamming them - for being so darn good at it. Many other companies use exactly the same techniques for PR but few do it so successfully. This doesn't take anything away from Apple in terms of their products but i'm sure it helps paper over some of the shortcomings as well (but then this is the job of marketing as much as anything else).
Modern PR is so much more than official press releases, or even official channel releases full stop: i'll reiterate "Heard of viral marketing? Seeding the press? Online PR? Engagement?". So, we're left with the sum total of your arguement: Apple doesn't need to do anything to launch their products anymore - the brand is self sustaining and everyone at Apple PR has gone down the pub, with a belly full of whisky. Doh.

This guy has 20 years experience in the industry, so i'll point you at him once again http://publicrelationsrogue.wordpres...rketing-model/

The hype has been generated purely by the media itself

uh-huh. Wakey wakey.