Edible Apple

There’s no shortage of Apple related websites on the web. You’ve got sites dedicated to rumors, news, gaming, history, and a slew of other niches. Meanwhile, if you want to find a similar ecosystem of websites and blogs dedicated to companies like Dell and HP, you’re in for quite a disappointment. In light of that, it’s not all that shocking that stories relating to Apple occupy an inordinate amount of space in the tech media given Apple’s relatively small market share.

That Apple-centric focus, however, is not just limited to the blogosphere as Apple is also the focus of a sizeable amount of the tech coverage in both print and on TV.

In a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center Project for Excellence in Journalism, they studied tech coverage across 52 newspapers, television broadcasts, and websites from June 2009 to June 2010 was analyzed. What was found, ultimately, was that Apple was the most discussed technology company during the 12-month time period, serving as the focus for about 15% of all tech related stories.

Specifically, 6.4% of all tech coverage during the measured time period focused on new iPhone releases (both the 3GS and the iPhone 4)while  iPad secured 6.4% of tech coverage during the 12 month span. By way of comparison, Windows 7 was released amidst much hoopla in October 2009, yet only managed to rack up one half of 1% of all tech coverage – which comes in behind stories covering Steve Jobs (1.6%) and even the Apple App Store (1.4%).

But not only does Apple generate a disproportionate amount of tech coverage, much of that coverage is exceedingly positive. For example, 42% of the Apple stories covered by the study described Apple as “innovative” and “superior” while many articles also made mention of Apple’s loyal and dedicated fan base. Not all coverage of Apple, however, puts the company in the best light. The study found that 17% of stories about Apple centered on various Apple products not living up to the hype.