I'm probably what you would call a news junkie. Being in the tech biz, I follow tech news very very closely. Being a relatively new (as of the start of my iPhone 4 ownership) lover of Apple, I follow Apple especially closely. I didn't used to read much Apple news, because frankly, I used to hate the company. Their products in recent years have so successfully blown me away, that I'm officially a convert.
That being said, for me there is a good deal of frustration about "following" this company. Every new product release, there has been something in the media to kill my buzz and make me worry about my purchase. And because I read so much tech news (maybe I shouldn't), it's hard to avoid. There's been an incident with every product I've bought:
iPhone 4: Antennagate! I waited a month to get my iPhone 4 from AT&T. Right when I finally got it, the whole antenna thing blew up. I personally was never able to get it to happen on my phone. I could get it to go down one or two bars, but never just a dead signal. I still to this day don't really know anyone that had a legitimate problem with it in day to day use. Not saying it's not a problem--just saying it's not as big of a problem as the media made it out to be. But I had to hear about it all day every day, and had to be asked about it every time someone saw me using my phone.
iPad 2: This was my first iPad purchase. According to the media, it sucked because of a lot of conflicting reasons. They shouldn't have added cameras, they should have added better cameras, all they did was make it thinner, it wasn't thin enough, it didn't have a retina display, the processor sucked, etc. etc. This one wasn't necessarily a scandal as much as just annoying coverage of the product and the usual suspects trying to tear it down.
iPhone 4S: Batterygate! That battery sucks! No redesign! Nobody will buy it! Apple sucks! Jobs would have never released this! Sell your stock! Apple is lost! All we got was better cameras and a faster processor!! I will give the media that the battery sucked. I will not give them the rest of it.
iPad 3: Heatgate! It overheats! (it doesn't) All we got was better cameras and a retina display (the very things everyone always complained the iPad 2 didn't have) It's thicker! (by a human hair's width) It's heavier! (to a complete weakling. A Game of Thrones book is heavier than the iPad 3)
Apple TV: This is my favorite one. The former software designer for Apple saying that Steve Jobs wouldn't have liked the interface.
You all see my point. Following Apple is frustrating. The media has never once allowed me to just be content with my purchase. This year, it's all about the new iPhone. The slowdown in purchases, the stock taking a dip, the Galaxy SIII. Of course, they're ignoring the pattern of this happening last year right before the new iPhone came out. It couldn't possibly be consumers being smart. It must be that Apple is losing its touch. It wouldn't be good business to write true stories about the company--they have to get clicks by being negative.
Anyone share my frustration? I love my Apple stuff. Apple is not perfect, but I love that my digital life is in this ecosystem. It has done nothing but make my life easier. But it's the most frustrating company in the world to keep up with in the news.
That being said, for me there is a good deal of frustration about "following" this company. Every new product release, there has been something in the media to kill my buzz and make me worry about my purchase. And because I read so much tech news (maybe I shouldn't), it's hard to avoid. There's been an incident with every product I've bought:
iPhone 4: Antennagate! I waited a month to get my iPhone 4 from AT&T. Right when I finally got it, the whole antenna thing blew up. I personally was never able to get it to happen on my phone. I could get it to go down one or two bars, but never just a dead signal. I still to this day don't really know anyone that had a legitimate problem with it in day to day use. Not saying it's not a problem--just saying it's not as big of a problem as the media made it out to be. But I had to hear about it all day every day, and had to be asked about it every time someone saw me using my phone.
iPad 2: This was my first iPad purchase. According to the media, it sucked because of a lot of conflicting reasons. They shouldn't have added cameras, they should have added better cameras, all they did was make it thinner, it wasn't thin enough, it didn't have a retina display, the processor sucked, etc. etc. This one wasn't necessarily a scandal as much as just annoying coverage of the product and the usual suspects trying to tear it down.
iPhone 4S: Batterygate! That battery sucks! No redesign! Nobody will buy it! Apple sucks! Jobs would have never released this! Sell your stock! Apple is lost! All we got was better cameras and a faster processor!! I will give the media that the battery sucked. I will not give them the rest of it.
iPad 3: Heatgate! It overheats! (it doesn't) All we got was better cameras and a retina display (the very things everyone always complained the iPad 2 didn't have) It's thicker! (by a human hair's width) It's heavier! (to a complete weakling. A Game of Thrones book is heavier than the iPad 3)
Apple TV: This is my favorite one. The former software designer for Apple saying that Steve Jobs wouldn't have liked the interface.
You all see my point. Following Apple is frustrating. The media has never once allowed me to just be content with my purchase. This year, it's all about the new iPhone. The slowdown in purchases, the stock taking a dip, the Galaxy SIII. Of course, they're ignoring the pattern of this happening last year right before the new iPhone came out. It couldn't possibly be consumers being smart. It must be that Apple is losing its touch. It wouldn't be good business to write true stories about the company--they have to get clicks by being negative.
Anyone share my frustration? I love my Apple stuff. Apple is not perfect, but I love that my digital life is in this ecosystem. It has done nothing but make my life easier. But it's the most frustrating company in the world to keep up with in the news.