David Prosser: Apple: master of hype
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Outlook You have to hand it to Apple's marketing machine: it has become so powerful that the company no longer has to do any of the work in hyping up its launches.
Take the tablet computer that it is expected to unveil next week, about which such a speculative frenzy has developed on the technology blogs that one gossip site, Valleywag, began offering cash rewards to staff prepared to leak pictures of the eagerly waited device: $20,000 for video of it, rising to $50,000 should the footage also feature Apple boss Steve Jobs.
Apple itself would not stoop to the site's level by commenting, but its law firm fired off a warning letter to Valleywag, warning it to stop "offering a bounty for the theft of Apple's trade secrets". It knew, of course, that Valleywag would post the demand online, effectively confirming that the tablet computer is coming next week and sending the hype into overdrive without Apple even lifting a finger.
Yet more proof – as if it were needed – that Apple is smarter than rivals such as Microsoft, which rushed out a prototype of its own tablet computer this month in order to be first. It will nonetheless be drowned in the rush for Mr Jobs' latest creation.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments