Rene Ritchie leaves iMore.com

[AustinIllini]

According to the Vector YouTube channel and his own personal account (also the latest Talk Show with Gruber), Rene Ritchie is leaving iMore. He basically started the website as Phone Different when he was hired by Dieter Bohn.

He's definitely an Apple homer, but his insight into the inner workings of Apple is very good and he's well respected in the community. Wonder what this means for iMore going forward.

 

[Weaselboy]

Lori Lory Gil was on the MacBreak Weekly podcast talking about this a bit. Sounds like she is taking over Rene's job and Rene is moving out on his own and just doing YouTube videos. Lori was a little vague when asked about the direction of iMore, but it did not sound like any big changes were coming.

Rene was on the podcast also and he said he wants his YT channel to be more in depth analysis of what the news means rather than just covering the news.

 

[AustinIllini]

Lori Gil was on the MacBreak Weekly podcast talking about this a bit. Sounds like she is taking over Rene's job and Rene is moving out on his own and just doing YouTube videos. Lori was a little vague when asked about the direction of iMore, but it did not sound like any big changes were coming.

Rene was on the podcast also and he said he wants to YT channel to be more in depth analysis of what the news means rather than just covering the news.

Yeah, I feel like about 2 years ago iMore kind of lost its direction. Way too much Pokemon go and a bunch of non-Apple stuff didn't work for me. I need to listen to this week's MBW.

 

[ksgant]

Yeah, I feel like about 2 years ago iMore kind of lost its direction. Way too much Pokemon go and a bunch of non-Apple stuff didn't work for me. I need to listen to this week's MBW.

I stopped listening to MBW quite a while ago. I go back now and then, but every time I do it's almost always about how great Android is from Leo and Andy. I mean, that's great that they like Android, but isn't there another show about that? On their Android show, do they just talk about iOS?

 

[AustinIllini]

I stopped listening to MBW quite a while ago. I go back now and then, but every time I do it's almost always about how great Android is from Leo and Andy. I mean, that's great that they like Android, but isn't there another show about that? On their Android show, do they just talk about iOS?

I listen but I can only take so much COVID19 discussion. They do a lot of "Business of Apple" talk.

I get why it's relevant, but I try to manage my own mental and emotional health.

 

[turbineseaplane]

New show to be called “fully in the bag for Apple“, with your host, Rene Ritchie

 

[AustinIllini]

New show to be called “fully in the bag for Apple“, with your host, Rene Ritchie

No argument there, however his insight is usually pretty strong. His conclusions do almost always tend to favor Apple at this point.

 

[44267547]

Lori Gil was on the MacBreak Weekly podcast talking about this a bit. Sounds like she is taking over Rene's job and Rene is moving out on his own and just doing YouTube videos. Lori was a little vague when asked about the direction of iMore, but it did not sound like any big changes were coming.

Rene was on the podcast also and he said he wants his YT channel to be more in depth analysis of what the news means rather than just covering the news.

Wasn't Lori a member/employee here at one point? I recall here ‘article writing’/name listed at the bottom of the website page. That’s a big position to fill with Ritchies departure.

 

[Weaselboy]

Wasn't Lori a member/employee here at one point? I recall here ‘article writing’/name listed at the bottom of the website page. That’s a big position to fill with Ritchies departure.

Articles on MacRumors by Lory Gil

Articles on MacRumors by Lory Gil

www.macrumors.com

Yep... looks like she left in 2015.

 

[maflynn]

Wow, I'd say I'm surprised but I'm not really. Ever since he started his own video content that was not really iMore branded, I thought perhaps he was getting bored.

I've long stopped visiting iMore, so I don't know if its a vibrant site or not

 

[turbineseaplane]

Ever since he started his own video content that was not really iMore branded, I thought perhaps he was getting bored.

I think invariably the “talent” making the videos and the content starts to realize that they are doing all of the money making work and barely getting remunerated for it, relatively speaking, and ultimately the writing is on the wall

Rene is way too much of a homer for me, but I do applaud him striking out on his own.
Kudos to him for sure and I wish them the best of luck

 

[maflynn]

Rene is way too much of a homer for me,

Completely, he fought tooth and nail over the butterfly keyboard defending apple failed on his laptop, but with that said, he was (and is) incredibly knowledgable, and well spoken. I did enjoy his articles and content

 

[turbineseaplane]

Completely, he fought tooth and nail over the butterfly keyboard defending apple failed on his laptop

Great point.

The butterfly keyboard ended up being a really good litmus test to see where people were on the Apple homer factor.

 

[Expos of 1969]

Great point.

The butterfly keyboard ended up being a really good litmus test to see where people were on the Apple homer factor.

Not sure how those that defended Apple through 3 to 4 years of knowingly selling a defective product can hold their heads high and look others in the eye with any integrity whatsoever.

 

[Septembersrain]

I was an ambassador for iMore. It really started getting hostile there. I stepped down and they ended up banning me because I outright disagreed with a moderator on something. I was never uncivil.

It's been losing its direction for a while. I was banned in 2015.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Not sure how those that defended Apple through 3 to 4 years of knowingly selling a defective product can hold their heads high and look others in the eye with any integrity whatsoever.

I don’t follow Rene close enough to know…

But do you know if he walked that all back and borderline apologized?

It would do a ton for his credibility if he was very open about how wrong he was to be defending that.

Openly admitting when you were wrong is very important in my eyes

 

[AustinIllini]

Not sure how those that defended Apple through 3 to 4 years of knowingly selling a defective product can hold their heads high and look others in the eye with any integrity whatsoever.

His stance on the butterfly keyboard was essentially "I don't have a problem with the butterfly keyboard, but if too many people do, Apple can't keep it".

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Not sure how those that defended Apple through 3 to 4 years of knowingly selling a defective product can hold their heads high and look others in the eye with any integrity whatsoever.

Because reviewers only has access to the news and their own anecdotal data. Personally I've never had an issue with the butterfly keys and a lot of sticky key issues with the old MacBook Air scissor keys. I also preferred the feel and the backlighting without any light bleed on the edges. His stance was that if there are too failures Apple should replace it, which is what I think is the neutral and responsible way to characterize it. Why would you want him to oppose something that he had a good experience with?

 

[Expos of 1969]

Because reviewers only has access to the news and their own anecdotal data. Personally I've never had an issue with the butterfly keys and a lot of sticky key issues with the old MacBook Air scissor keys. I also preferred the feel and the backlighting without any light bleed on the edges. His stance was that if there are too failures Apple should replace it, which is what I think is the neutral and responsible way to characterize it. Why would you want him to oppose something that he had a good experience with?

I did not mention his name in my post. I was referring to all those who defended Apple despite the clear evidence that there were problems with every incantation of that keyboard. The "defend at all costs" brigade.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

I did not mention his name in my post. I was referring to all those who defended Apple despite the clear evidence that there were problems with every incantation of that keyboard. The "defend at all costs" brigade.

The thread is about him and the comments you were replying to certainly are referring to him, but apologies if you were referring to other reviewers.

 

[KPOM]

I did not mention his name in my post. I was referring to all those who defended Apple despite the clear evidence that there were problems with every incantation of that keyboard. The "defend at all costs" brigade.

I think Apple may have been trying to wean users from tactile feedback. I.e., the butterfly keyboard might have been the first step attempt to introduce the concept of a virtual keyboard on a Mac (the Touch Bar being the next step). But Apple seems to have walked back from that.

 

[Expos of 1969]

I think Apple may have been trying to wean users from tactile feedback. I.e., the butterfly keyboard might have been the first step attempt to introduce the concept of a virtual keyboard on a Mac (the Touch Bar being the next step). But Apple seems to have walked back from that.

Perhaps, but if that was the aim they should have explained things to give users some context. To do it quietly and to have people expecting the usual good performance from a "normal" keyboard and some of them getting an horrendous experience is a foolish approach. Even when they walk back, they are so afraid to be honest and explain what and why, it really turns some users off the company. Just an opinion.

 

[Tech198]

Everyone moves on.

 

[MacGizmo]

iMore, like most other Apple "journalistic" sites, is 1% great content and 99% ads and regurgitated Mac Rumors content.

 

[AustinIllini]

iMore, like most other Apple "journalistic" sites, is 1% great content and 99% ads and regurgitated Mac Rumors content.

MobileNations has fallen apart. The websites are all a mess. Some of the personalities are quite good (Andrew Martonik, Alex Dobie, Phil Nickenson, Lory Gil, Georgia Dow - I absolutely love Georgia Dow), but the content is just... not great