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[ersocaster]

In my time working in the media, I've heard rumors about what Apple does if they do not receive favorable coverage. Couple that with iOS users typically being on the web more, and it seems pretty obvious why Apple gets a lot of attention (hint: money).

Reviews/coverage is cool and all, but I am a heavy researcher before buying something, and the process of researching usually does a solid job of removing a lot of bias.

 

[BruceCLea]

The Verge gave the new iPhone a glowing review.
This is hilarious.

 

[The Shadow]

Actually, Apple makes good stuff. The only issue I have with "the cult" is when valid and real criticism is dismissed.

It really irks me when things like "bendgate" and "antennagate" are kind of glossed over and dismissed when these would be pretty big issues (and are) with other manufacturers.

 

[The Albatross]

I don't really care about the "event" status that new iPhone reveals and releases are treated with, because they simply are bigger events than Samsung announcing one out of 5 handsets from this year. Although I think that the 6S reveal day was one of the biggest "It was Nothing" reveals in Apple's recent history, but this is what I have a problem with:

Admittedly, this is Engadget, not the Verge, but I'd wager that the Verge probably has done something similar here, gushing over Apple design considerations -- whether it's the Apple Watch, Pencil, iPhone, iMac, or what have you -- while sighing about the same design choices by other manufacturers.

 

[diamount]

It's safe to assume The Verge is simply a subsidiary of Apple at this point.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

This is the tech equivalent of Game Informer's infamous Mario Party "we give high scores to games we think consumers want us to give high scores to."

Yes, Apple makes good products. But reviewing the company, not the product, in each product review does consumers a disservice.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Are these reviewers at least getting paid by Apple? Otherwise it is kind of sad

Can't tell if you're serious, but this train of thought is one of the most annoying things to see people suggest. No tech publication with any weight is paid for reviews or writes. Does Apple have a very intimate relationship with some publications? Most likely, yes, but so do some other companies. HTC holds a special event every year for some journos to come in and give a retrospective on how the company did things. Not every site that reviews HTC/Android stuff gets to go. It's a very select group of journalists.

Now, do some publications accept hand outs for things? Yes, unfortunately they do. However these are extremely easy to identify as every single review they write is filled with praise (across all products) and almost rarely has a product review fall below a score of 8.

 

[reKon]

Or you know, Apple actually makes great products and are reviewed fairly.

They shit on everything else made by Apple that isn't the iPhone, iPad and MacBooks (3 products that are universally praised and arguably the top products in their category)

Lololol this is perfect

 

[StudioTan]

So they've just abandoned any semblance of objective tech journalism.

Not surprising. They should just rebrand the website at this point.

 

[Yurikerr]

I don't really care about the "event" status that new iPhone reveals and releases are treated with, because they simply are bigger events than Samsung announcing one out of 5 handsets from this year. Although I think that the 6S reveal day was one of the biggest "It was Nothing" reveals in Apple's recent history, but this is what I have a problem with:

Admittedly, this is Engadget, not the Verge, but I'd wager that the Verge probably has done something similar here, gushing over Apple design considerations -- whether it's the Apple Watch, Pencil, iPhone, iMac, or what have you -- while sighing about the same design choices by other manufacturers.

This is everything you need to know about how The Verge evaluates the phoen designs:

The usual example cited in this category is: you criticised phone A for still looking the same, but not the iPhone. That seems unfair until you consider the fact that the iPhone is selling remarkably well with its current look and feel. People have demonstrated they like it in the strongest fashion possible: sales.

The phone that typically gets criticised for not changing enough — hello, HTC One, Sony’s Xperia series, and LG’s G4 — is coming from an underdog position. If you want to change your phone’s fortunes, you need change. Apple doesn’t.

Unfairness is just inherent in a mature market. Apple doesn’t have to deal with many of the hurdles that its competitors are contending with, including obstructionist carrier demands and uncooperative parts suppliers.

TL.DR: iPhone sells the most, it can look like anything they want.

 

[sooperkool]

It's safe to assume The Verge is simply a subsidiary of Apple at this point.

They wish...

 

[Opiate]

I wonder if they've considered the possibility that some small part of the iphone's sales are likely a consequence of their gushing reviews.

If game reviewers give a game a 9.5 and it sells well, they can therefore justify giving the sequel a 9.5 because the series sells well. And it then it does, in significant part because the game got a 9.5 review.

And yes, there is a clear sales/review correlation in gaming.

 

[Mushroomer25]

Jesus, that reads like Click hole level satire. Objectively covering a product can't be expected because said product is the market leader. Who the hell thinks like that? How deep of a delusional hole do you need to live before that looks reasonable?

 

[Heigic]

They put way more effort into their Apple reviews than other products:
iPhone: http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/22/9368415/apple-iphone-6s-iphone-6s-plus-review
Apple Watch: http://www.theverge.com/a/apple-watch-review

and then compare it to any other review on their site. These products most likely generate the most hits though so I don't know if it really can be considered bias.

 

[Zombie James]

Good god, that was both embarrassing and hilarious to read. Good on them for admitting their own irrelevance as a tech site but I never would have thought they'd do it like this. Who in their right mind will ever take their non-Apple reviews or coverage seriously after publishing something like this?

Let's remember their recent Note 5 review:

 

[Orbis Tabula]

I wonder if they've considered the possibility that some small part of the iphone's sales are likely a consequence of their gushing reviews.

If game reviewers give a game a 9.5 and it sells well, they can therefore justify giving the sequel a 9.5 because the series sells well. And it then it does, in significant part because the game got a 9.5 review.

And yes, there is a clear sales/review correlation in gaming.

It seems like the most obvious thought to follow, and yet if they had thought of it, I can't imagine them publishing the article.

 

[SimleuqiR]

I don't really care about the "event" status that new iPhone reveals and releases are treated with, because they simply are bigger events than Samsung announcing one out of 5 handsets from this year. Although I think that the 6S reveal day was one of the biggest "It was Nothing" reveals in Apple's recent history, but this is what I have a problem with:

Admittedly, this is Engadget, not the Verge, but I'd wager that the Verge probably has done something similar here, gushing over Apple design considerations -- whether it's the Apple Watch, Pencil, iPhone, iMac, or what have you -- while sighing about the same design choices by other manufacturers.

Sony makes some damn good looking phones. But their sales channels and marketing suck balls.

 

[gcubed]

i read this story a few minutes ago and i was thinking to myself the entire time... why are they posting this, i dont think its what they think it is

 

[neogaffer1]

I don't really care about the "event" status that new iPhone reveals and releases are treated with, because they simply are bigger events than Samsung announcing one out of 5 handsets from this year. Although I think that the 6S reveal day was one of the biggest "It was Nothing" reveals in Apple's recent history, but this is what I have a problem with:

Admittedly, this is Engadget, not the Verge, but I'd wager that the Verge probably has done something similar here, gushing over Apple design considerations -- whether it's the Apple Watch, Pencil, iPhone, iMac, or what have you -- while sighing about the same design choices by other manufacturers.

tbf the iphone 6 didn't look very much like the past iphones outside of the front bezels and home button while the xperia line has looked nearly exactly the same since the z1.

 

[pants]

Well that's it for me visiting the verge

 

[Yurikerr]

I wonder if they've considered the possibility that some small part of the iphone's sales are likely a consequence of their gushing reviews.

If game reviewers give a game a 9.5 and it sells well, they can therefore justify giving the sequel a 9.5 because the series sells well. And it then it does, in significant part because the game got a 9.5 review.

And yes, there is a clear sales/review correlation in gaming.

This! So much this!

It's like they are clueless of how much power product reviews have on purchasing habits.

I don't understand how the author fail to see that his logic that a product must be praised because it sells a lot will only lead to more sales and more praise (just perpetuating the cycle)

 

[RoyalLaFlame]

Wowowowwowowowowow... we already knew it. They should rebrand their site to something like Apple Central.

This is some Jony Ive type bollocks.

I can't stand this guy. I really can't.

 

[Sou Da]

Only slightly better than when the Escapist made that comic addressing the concerns from readers that they might have an nvidia gpu bias.

The comic called amd buyers poor and in need of food stamps.

 

[SimleuqiR]

Good god, that was both embarrassing and hilarious to read. Good on them for admitting their own irrelevance as a tech site but I never would have thought they'd do it like this. Who in their right mind will ever take their non-Apple reviews or coverage seriously after publishing something like this?

Let's remember their recent Note 5 review:

To be fair these are things Android users look for when buying a new Android Phone.

 

[Sir Abacus]

I don't really care about the "event" status that new iPhone reveals and releases are treated with, because they simply are bigger events than Samsung announcing one out of 5 handsets from this year. Although I think that the 6S reveal day was one of the biggest "It was Nothing" reveals in Apple's recent history, but this is what I have a problem with:

One is almost square, the other has much larger radius rounded corners. Stuff with larger radius corners looks distinctly less slab like. There's plenty of examples of Sony design which is overlooked compared to the iPhone but the Xperia looking like a slab is not the hill one should want to die on.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

To be fair these are things Android users look for when buying a new Android Phone.

True. But I think the argument is that these features are good things for consumers, but Apple is under no pressure to provide them, in part because reviewers are willing to let it slide when Apple neglects them, but less for when other companies do.

 

[Vyer]

The truth is verge is far more a shitty site that cares more about gathering page views and clicks over content than it is a site with an Apple bias.

They know that they can mention Apple and get fans to read it, but just as importantly get the haters to read it as well. That's the reason they'll stick Apple references in, say, some random Acer laptop review in July: not because it has shit all to do with some random laptop, but because they can get the comments and link sharing going with all the angry people wanting by to show more 'lol iverge ' proof. It's damn masterful and terrible all at the same time.

Just look at this thread. Some people are so eager to eat up what they're offering. Ask yourself what kind of publication creates a narrative of bias, and then goes on to pretend to discover and acknowledge that bias without worrying once about its integrity. Verge, unfortunately, knows how to play the game so well.

 

[Yurikerr]

To be fair these are things Android users look for when buying a new Android Phone.

Maybe Note/samsung users, but not every android user.

I can count on one hand the amount of flagship devices of the last 3, 4 years that had this options.

And that's a problem with their review process. The iPhone is only compared to the iPhone, but Android devices are compared to every other smartphone.

If i have a Nexus device i don't care about expanded storage and replaceable battery, so why is this a negative for me?

Edit: And just to complete, how much of the sales was attibuted to this features? Are the new devices sales lower because of the removal of SD and battery? Weren't Samsung devices ugly and felt cheap because of it?

To me, this two features are like backwards compatibility on consoles. Something that's great to have, but when removed doesn't affect not even 10% of the costumers base. You just have a vocal minority that likes to express their outrage.

 

[TemplaerDude]

How does an article like this get written, or approved. This is insane. Essentially they're telling me I don't have to put an ounce of value in any of their reviews.

 

[EnVy_CaLiBeR]

Good god, that was both embarrassing and hilarious to read. Good on them for admitting their own irrelevance as a tech site but I never would have thought they'd do it like this. Who in their right mind will ever take their non-Apple reviews or coverage seriously after publishing something like this?

Let's remember their recent Note 5 review:

Was just about to bring this up. Embarrassing, but not I'm not surprised.

If it's not an iPhone, it's not an iPhone indeed.

 

[Dicer]

Kinda of a water is wet article really, of course Apple has bias, they cultivate a "lifestyle" and it works hand over fist...

I look for different things in my phone, and I like the freedom of choice, but to slam an Android device for the same things that and Apple get praised for, it's just kinda dumb.

#notallappleowners
#notallandroidusers
#hastagsaresilly

 

[Fuchsdh]

The Verge staff is having some severe mental breakdowns with this ad blocking business.

I also don't buy the "app makers are using the platform, therefor they are biased!" argument. App makers make apps for iOS because that's where the goddamn money is to be made. If making Android apps had the same lucrative opportunities they'd happily switch over and be grousing about the difficulties with coding for Android the same way they do about iOS. That's not a 'bias', it's economics.

This was without a doubt the worst thing I've read in a long time from them.

True. But I think the argument is that these features are good things for consumers, but Apple is under no pressure to provide them, in part because reviewers are willing to let it slide when Apple neglects them, but less for when other companies do.

I see the argument, but I think it's a case of knowing your audience. I think we have the same sorts of disagreements when it comes to video game reviews, too—Someone complaining that Minecraft is "too cartoony" would be likewise fundamentally misunderstanding what they are reviewing. Complaining that an iPhone doesn't have an SD card is I guess legitimate but in a review for a product that will literally never have an SD card slot, it doesn't make sense to penalize a product for not being a different kind of product altogether. Complaining about the Galaxy S5 not having a removable battery and expansion makes more sense because previous versions had those features.

The truth is verge is far more a shitty site that cares more about gathering page views and clicks over content than it is a site with an Apple bias.

They know that they can mention Apple and get fans to read it, but just as importantly get the haters to read it as well. That's the reason they'll stick Apple references in, say, some random Acer laptop review in July: not because it has shit all to do with some random laptop, but because they can get the comments and link sharing going with all the angry people wanting by to show more 'lol iverge ' proof. It's damn masterful and terrible all at the same time.

Just look at this thread. Some people are so eager to eat up what they're offering. Ask yourself what kind of publication creates a narrative of bias, and then goes on to pretend to discover and acknowledge that bias without worrying once about its integrity. Verge, unfortunately, knows how to play the game so well.

This is a general issue with the press in general. How many "Apple is doomed" stories will we continue to sit through, because dumbasses know saying that is going to get them attention and clicks for either people violently disagreeing or rushing to call people iSheep?

 

[Sir Abacus]

How does an article like this get written, or approved. This is insane. Essentially they're telling me I don't have to put an ounce of value in any of their reviews.

It's great advice though.

 

[Tobor]

Reality has an Apple bias. They deserve the reviews and sales that they get. Superior products get superior reviews. It's common sense.

EDIT: Nilay is a tool, though.

 

[marc^o^]

This is a pretty clear case of confirmation bias.

You start with a conclusion, and then rationalize that conclusion however you need to. In this case, the rationalization is "the IPhone is incredibly popular and widespread, therefore it is okay for us to be biased." Imagine applying that same ethos in any other medium.

JP Morgan Chase is the largest banking conglomerate in the western world. Of course we're biased towards it!

Exactly.

 

[Spiritwalker]

I really loved that site from 2011-2013, but it's gone downhill ever since. It feels like they barely even cover tech nowadays, aside from Apple news of course. It's becoming more and more like Buzzfeed.

That said, they've always been biased towards Apple so it's nothing new.

 

[HariKari]

The iPhone is reviewed like a transcendental entity that's more than just the sum of its metal, plastic, and silicon parts, because that's what it is.

How does that get published willingly? It's the Verge and all, but come on.

 

[SimleuqiR]

True. But I think the argument is that these features are good things for consumers, but Apple is under no pressure to provide them, in part because reviewers are willing to let it slide when Apple neglects them, but less for when other companies do.

Maybe Note/samsung users, but not every android user.

I can count on one hand the amount of flagship devices of the last 3, 4 years that had this options.

And that's a problem with their review process. The iPhone is only compared to the iPhone, but Android devices are compared to every other smartphone.

If i have a Nexus device i don't care about expanded storage and replaceable battery, so why is this a negative for me?

Here is the issue guys, I would say 90% of iPhone owners don't care about Android and what features it has over iOS. Their next phone will continue to be the next iPhone. So why should they compare the iPhone to anything else. I know it sucks, but that's the truth.

 

[Kinyou]

And it's your job as a journalist to at least try not to let that bias influence you. That is like the most important thing when reviewing products. Damn...

Yep, exactly. Judge he Apple watch on what is there, not on the potential there could be because of the brand name. That's irrelevant to a review.

 

[Yurikerr]

Here is the issue guys, I would say 90% of iPhone owners don't care about Android and what features it has over iOS. Their next phone will continue to be the next iPhone. So why should they compare the iPhone to anything else. I know it sucks, but that's the truth.

And maybe 90% of the android owners don't care about iPhone. Why must android reviews be plastered with iPhone references?

They create a culture of comparison with only one platform.

How many of this 90% iPhone owners would think about switching to Android if they knew there's other smartphone with better cameras/battery/speakers/durability? I would say that this tech sites are creating ignorant buyers, that simply aren't aware of everything that the market has to offer.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Here is the issue guys, I would say 90% of iPhone owners don't care about Android and what features it has over iOS. Their next phone will continue to be the next iPhone. So why should they compare the iPhone to anything else. I know it sucks, but that's the truth.

Because writing your closing statements something along the lines of the below is so hard

iPhone 6S is better in every way compared to the iPhone 6 however falls short in these categories compared to the Samsung S6 but is better at X, Y, and Z. If you're wondering if the new iPhone is a worthy upgrade from the old model, I say Yes. But if you value these aspects of android, you may want to read a bit more into it.

Then those not interested in Android phones would still get their information while those interested in just getting a new phone would get all their relevant info.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

I see the argument, but I think it's a case of knowing your audience. I think we have the same sorts of disagreements when it comes to video game reviews, too—Someone complaining that Minecraft is "too cartoony" would be likewise fundamentally misunderstanding what they are reviewing. Complaining that an iPhone doesn't have an SD card is I guess legitimate but in a review for a product that will literally never have an SD card slot, it doesn't make sense to penalize a product for not being a different kind of product altogether. Complaining about the Galaxy S5 not having a removable battery and expansion makes more sense because previous versions had those features.

Yeah, and I can see that side of it, too. But I think that letting these things slide has effects on the entire smartphone market. If having these options is good for the consumer, but Apple continue gets off without having them, then there's less pressure on the other manufacturers to do so. Which means that less phones have that feature, which would be bad for consumers who want these features. Until, of course, Apple adds it. Then, I expect The Verge would be thrilled and would start penalizing other manufacturers for not having the feature.

Here is the issue guys, I would say 90% of iPhone owners don't care about Android and what features it has over iOS. Their next phone will continue to be the next iPhone. So why should they compare the iPhone to anything else. I know it sucks, but that's the truth.

Well I think people who are going to buy the iPhone anyway shouldn't be the target demographic for reviews that compare features among various phone and assign scores that can be compared. If someone is going to buy an iPhone no matter what, there's no point in writing a review for them. They've already decided they want the phone, whatever features it does or does not have makes no difference to their purchase. So why cater to them in your reviews?

 

[Opiate]

This! So much this!

It's like they are clueless of how much power product reviews have on purchasing habits.

I don't understand how the author fail to see that his logic that a product must be praised because it sells a lot will only lead to more sales and more praise (just perpetuating the cycle)

I think almost everyone sees themselves as just a cog in a giant wheel, even though collectively, we are the wheel. And in the case of journalists, they're a relatively big cog.

Think of junk entertainment magazines and television like US Weekly and E! Entertainment news. I'm sure if you ask an E! correspondent or US journalist why they report on this crap, they'd respond with some variation of "it's what the public wants."

And I'd point out that people are not born with a fascination for what Kim Kardashian is wearing this Tuesday. It is an interest that is instilled and cultivated in people. Of course any given journalist is not solely to blame, but the collective news media has a significant influence on what entertainment tastes are cultivated.

And all of these reporters individually can throw their hands up in the air and insist they're just reporting what people want. Everyone agrees that it's junk television, and yet no one is to blame for its continued propagation. Now apply the same basic logic in this case: the Verge is just reporting what people want to hear, and people buy the product because it gets good reviews, and the Verge gives the next product a good review because people want to hear it, repeat ad infinitem.

 

[Ol No Bones]

We live in a time where all smartphones essentially do the exact same things. There is not much differentiation between them but apple got there first in the minds of people. They have captured people into a perpetual cycle of upgrades and I applaud them for that. All flagship products are essentially the same and it has to be a boring to review a phone with better specs every release.

 

[fuzzyset]

How does that get published willingly? It's the Verge and all, but come on.

I had to go check the original article after you quoted it because I could not believe it was actually in there. Jeez.

And Apple's force touch is better than Huawei because it reaches a larger audience? Man, that's some Kool-Aid drinkin'. I can buy the typical "Apple perfects other innovations" but man...

 

[ShemhazaiX]

That was quite literally the stupidest thing I've ever read. I am now demonstrably less intelligent for reading it. I don't even know what the point of the article even was. That people are in the right for sucking the teat of a giant corporation? Like, what even.

 

[Fuchsdh]

Yeah, and I can see that side of it, too. But I think that letting these things slide has effects on the entire smartphone market. If having these options is good for the consumer, but Apple continue gets off without having them, then there's less pressure on the other manufacturers to do so. Which means that less phones have that feature, which would be bad for consumers who want these features. Until, of course, Apple adds it. Then, I expect The Verge would be thrilled and would start penalizing other manufacturers for not having the feature.

Well, I think what this article and others here and fundamentally assuming is that the gadget press really has that much power, and I don't think that's the case. More and more phones don't have expandable storage because most people don't care about expandable storage, not because reviews give an iPhone a pass on that. People cared about having a larger-screen phone, and Apple created a larger-screened phone. The market spoke, the reviews didn't matter.

It certainly sucks being the minority buyer whose tastes run contrary to the mass market, but that's the way of the world (I, personally, would prefer a <4.7" phone. That doesn't seem likely to be an option for iPhones going forward, for instance.) I imagine a lot of GAF falls into that vocal minority, and sometimes forgets most people aren't building their own PCs or side-loading apps or adding third-party keyboards.

 

[Yurikerr]

I think almost everyone sees themselves as just a cog in the wheel, even though collectively, we are the wheel. And in the case of journalists, they're a relatively big cog.

Think of junk entertainment magazines and television like US Weekly and E! Entertainment news. I'm sure if you ask an E! correspondent or US journalist why they report on this crap, they'd respond with some variation of "it's what the public wants."

And I'd point out that people are not born with a fascination for what Kim Kardashian is wearing this Tuesday, that is something that is instilled in them. Of course any given journalist is not solely to blame, but the collective news media has a significant influence on what entertainment tastes are cultivated.

And all of them individually can throw their hands up in the air and insist they're just reporting what people want. Everyone agrees that it's junk television, and yet no one is to blame for its continued propagation.

I agree with everything you wrote.

I think is just one more case of "If ain't broke don't change it".

They make their money this way and people are happy about their purchases. Everybody wins. =/

Well, I think what this article and others here and fundamentally assuming is that the gadget press really has that much power, and I don't think that's the case. More and more phones don't have expandable storage because most people don't care about expandable storage, not because reviews give an iPhone a pass on that. People cared about having a larger-screen phone, and Apple created a larger-screened phone. The market spoke, the reviews didn't matter.

It certainly sucks being the minority buyer whose tastes run contrary to the mass market, but that's the way of the world (I, personally, would prefer a <4.7" phone. That doesn't seem likely to be an option for iPhones going forward, for instance.) I imagine a lot of GAF falls into that vocal minority, and sometimes forgets most people aren't building their own PCs or side-loading apps or adding third-party keyboards.

Yo, i don't agree with the third-party keyboards part. Swiftkey is a top seller, and even apple finally implemented (poorly) the support to them on iOS7

 

[Pie and Beans]

The iPhone is reviewed like a transcendental entity that's more than just the sum of its metal, plastic, and silicon parts, because that's what it is.

How does someone read this back to themselves and not think "Ah. I'm a moron aren't I?"?

Maybe someone else needs to read it back with emphasis on the "are you fucking for real" lines to really drive it home.

 

[Sir Abacus]

And Apple's force touch is better than Huawei because it reaches a larger audience? Man, that's some Kool-Aid drinkin'. I can buy the typical "Apple perfects other innovations" but man...

There's a lot of difference between "putting a pressure sensor behind the screen" and "making an actual working product that people and developers will use". For instance.

Like many new hardware features, how significant it will be is defined by how the software puts it to use. This is where Apple brings a lot to the table, wth 3D Touch deeply baked into it's UI. You can 3D Touch to preview links and open them with a harder touch, or launch the front camera instead of the rear through different pressure on the app icon.
One big difference between Huawei and Apple, however, is price. For Huawei this new display feature reserved for a luxury edition handset. For Apple, sitting in a higher price bracket, it's going to be a feature that's available on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, so in the hands of a lot of people.
It's obvious that Huawei's implentation is a starting point and that Apple has found a wider range of ways to use the technology - although there's always the potential for confusion.

Never mind that the Mate S isn't even coming officially to the states. So it becomes all academic for US users.