Edible Apple

Within hours of Apple’s media event today, Dan Lyons published an article for Newsweek asserting that the new Apple laptops aren’t worth the hype.  That’s all well and good, and he’s entitled to his opinion, but it’s problematic if that opinion is seemingly pre-conceived.

What I find troubling is that Lyons essentially glosses over the price cuts, and sarcastically mentions some of the significant internal upgrades the entire Apple laptop line received.  But why is this troubling?  Oh, I don’t know, it might have something to do with the fact that Lyons is a TECH COLUMNIST!!  When you write for a reputable magazine like Newsweek, your reporting should be at a certain level of credibility.  Editorializing is par for the course, but Lyons seems to re-direct his animosity for Steve Jobs and Apple in general to their product line as a whole.  And again, Lyons isn’t a blogger, he’s a TECH COLUMNUST for NEWSWEEK. I find it interesting that he’s able to review the new Apple products without ever having actually even touched them, used them, or even seen them in person.  But this isn’t the first time Lyons has showcased his impressive inability to understand the industry he’s paid to write about —  a look back at some of Dan Lyons litany of articles makes one wonder what kind of background and foundation he has that make him qualified to write about technology for publications as big as Forbes and Newsweek.  One of two things is going on here.  Either Lyons lacks the requisite knowledge base and insight to write intelligently about technology, or, and perhaps more likely, he’s not able to shield his disdain for all things Steve Jobs from his writings.  Either way, Lyons gets paid $$ to write for Newsweek, and that my friends is shocking.

I’ve written previously about Lyons technological ineptitude, which can be read over here.