Poll: Did The Onion's predicted Apple backlash actually start today?

You might recall The Onion breaking the news back in October that the Apple backlash was set to begin as of today, and if The Onion says it, it's got to be true. Right? Sure, the Cupertino fruit company's been riding high as of late, but if America's Finest News Source has it, we'll all be looking at our iDevices like bellbottoms and Betamaxes soon enough.

Did the Apple backlash start today ?

Yes, even the fanboys have to admit things have been a bit stale lately.Oh hell no, Steve would never let that happen. RDF, RDF, RDF...It's on -- at least until we score some seriously updated MacBook Pros.Started? Yeah, more like "continued with the fire of a thousand suns."Who cares? The real news is the Gizmondo backlash.Vote

[Waveblade @ Mar 21st 2008 8:02PM]

Anything happen today or just slow news day :P

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 21st 2008 8:45PM]

well, my news widget is reporting from ZDnet that Mozilla is backlashing at apple for pushing safari 3.1 for windows through apple update. Pretty strange eh?

[thef1re @ Mar 21st 2008 9:30PM]

man i keep thinking im at TUAW.

[MatthewJ @ Mar 21st 2008 9:33PM]

Yeah I've noticed that interesting story (and a very well written spiel by Mozilla too, I might add) all over teh interwebs today. Odd lack of it here on Engadget, and I'm not one to normally believe the whole 'Apple bias' thing.

[Aguiluz @ Mar 21st 2008 10:15PM]

Yeah... I'm eating apple slices right now... Bored...

[Leo @ Mar 21st 2008 10:34PM]

Totally OT I know but I didn't know where else to turn *sniff*

I can't log into my profile here on engadget - it says wrong password - I don't get it though, I'm using the same password there as I'm using to post this comment - wtf is going on, can I fix it?

P.S. Sorry to be a topic hog

[Leo @ Mar 21st 2008 10:36PM]

man, just checked the comment confirmation email and that's got a totally different password listed at the bottom - numbers/letters (not my usual password) - that doesn't work either. arhhrghhg

[jdd @ Mar 21st 2008 11:12PM]

my engadget backlash started today

[clak @ Mar 21st 2008 11:06PM]

This is how it works, gentlemen, in case you haven't noticed:

Engadget releases an article about Apple that is absolutely glowing and shortly thereafter, drops an article about Microsoft that contains a snide remark comparing them to Apple (usually unfavorably), thereby inciting feelings of insecurity with the Windows readers. On closer inspection the comment appears to be fairly innocous, but that doesn't stop a wave of Windows "users" from reacting out of pure rage to the perceived slights that have nothing to do with Engadget and everything to do with a series of commercials where 2 adult men pretend to be computers.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_a_Mac)

As a result, the Windows fanboys, er, enthusiasts, uh, USERS (because there is no possible way for a Windows user to be a fanboy. Scientific studies have shown without question that only Apple users can be fanboys because, uh, well I don't actually know why, but if enough people say it, it MUST be true, right? But I digress) flood the comments section with assertions of Windows superiority, and compulsively refresh the related article while looking for comments from fellow Windows users which affirm their Windows loyalty, er, beliefs, uh, OPINION.

At the end of the day, Engadget tallies their page clicks and ad revenue and overwhelmingly the Apple articles and the articles mentioning Microsoft while softly bashing them, consistently come out on top. Only the occasional freak stories go higher. While many people complain about Engadget's perceived bias, that actually doesn't stop them from coming back to the site. In fact, it actually seems to increase readership to unprecedented levels.

As a Mac user, I find the drama very funny. I am shocked that people keep falling for it.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 21st 2008 11:18PM]

hey, I'm a windows user, and I'd really like to upgrade to OSX. Maybe linux too?

[L. M. Lloyd @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:00AM]

@ clack

You know, every time I read the obligatory "if you don't like the Apple bias, then go away and stop reading it" comments present on every Apple leaning site, I ask myself "oh, is that what all those people at Starbucks spend their day doing on their Macbooks?"

[clak @ Mar 22nd 2008 3:18PM]

@L.M. Lloyd

"You know, every time I read the obligatory "if you don't like the Apple bias, then go away and stop reading it" comments present on every Apple leaning site, I ask myself "oh, is that what all those people at Starbucks spend their day doing on their Macbooks?"


Well, let's see now, I've actually never owned a laptop in my life, even when I was a Windows user. Before I switched, I think I built 6 computers for myself using Asus motherboards and AMD processors. I built one Wintel machine for my best friend and another AMD machine for my father. So that makes 8. I've had 2 Apple machines, a G5 and a Mac Pro, but there's no Macbooks in my history and I haven't been to Starbucks in 2 years (I'm a tea drinker), so perhaps I'm not the best person to ask. You see, I'm not the typical Apple user.

But, I KNOW! Let's ask my NINE year old niece! She has an iMac, which probably means she's smug and elitist like all Apple users, so maybe she knows the answer... oh SNAP, I just realized something. She's too young to drive, so she's probably never even been to Starbucks and she's too young to drink coffee. So where can we find a stereotypical user to answer your question. Oh, I know, let's just make ASSUMPTIONS. I mean, that's the beauty of stereotypes, right?

So, I would imagine that those Macbook users are more than likely gay, smug and elitist, so they're probably looking at gay porn or Versace's fall line-up. They might be reading the electronic version of "How to be a Douchebag Elitist" monthly. And if they have a MacBook, they probably have money to burn and more than likely are driving a BMW to Starbucks, which means they have a 100,000 a year job, which means they went to college, but wait! We all know that Mac users are too stupid to know how to use REAL computers, so how can this be? I mean, these people are distracted by shiny objects, so how is that they have so much money to buy MacBooks and iPods and iPhones?

So, to answer your question, I have no idea what those smug, elitist, gay Apple owners do all day at Starbucks. I'll have to do some more research.

[mattwier @ Mar 22nd 2008 9:49PM]

Yah do some more research, do that now. right now.

[HOOPER @ Mar 23rd 2008 1:50PM]

@ clack:
Chill out.

[wookee88 @ Mar 23rd 2008 8:55PM]

@L. M. Lloyd

No,they need to go home and American Idol on Tuesday and Wednesday night.

[RequiemValorum @ Mar 21st 2008 8:08PM]

I never understand these attitudes to companies. If i like their product i buy it. If i don't i won't. The company sure as hell doesn't care about me (be it Apple or any other) why should i give them any allegiance.

[fischju @ Mar 21st 2008 8:43PM]

Nintendo cares about you


(But at the cost of the enviroment)

[Dave @ Mar 21st 2008 9:09PM]

nintendo is the only company i will ever care about, for the following reason
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uZr3JWYdy8

[Chebwa @ Mar 21st 2008 10:31PM]

@Dave

OH. MY. GOD.

[Abuzar @ Mar 21st 2008 10:39PM]

Damn you, you Mario Rollers!

[dvsbstrd @ Mar 21st 2008 10:58PM]

Dave,

I am pissing all over your face

[Darkest Daze @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:05AM]

Wait, was I technically Rick Rolled? I don't know if a midi from Mario Paint counts or not.

[Nick @ Mar 21st 2008 8:07PM]

What's the point of a poll like this..? Even if 100% votes for "Of course not, Steve would never let that happen. RDF, remember?" what difference does it make?

[linumax @ Mar 21st 2008 9:26PM]

Polls are generally not supposed to make any difference, well, on planet earth at least.

[Taylor @ Mar 22nd 2008 5:18AM]

Linumax:
Did you forget that great big poll that half the country votes in later this year?
I think it's called the US election and it has EVERYTHING to do with changing the world.

(*vote obama*)

[Dave @ Mar 22nd 2008 9:36AM]

Taylor, apparently you don't watch the news a lot. Linumax is essentially correct...all the polls taken by all major media outlets had McCain getting run over in the primary in quite a few states and the exact opposite result.

In response to your postscript, how you could vote for someone that hasn't even finished their first term as senator and has not passed/introduced meaningful legislation in their tenure, as well as not disowning their pastor and mentor of 20 years who believes that the US introduced AIDS and crack to their own people, well, you, just like Obama, are very dangerous. Especially after Obama said on Anderson Cooper that he had "never heard those statements" and then a day later makes his speech in Philadelphia that admits he DID hear those statements. Not that I like Hillary but Obama makes her look like a viable choice.

I mean I'm sorry but just watch his most recent interview with AC after the Philadelphia speech, he can't even give a straight answer to a sipmle question http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cB7-6MinAM

(and to those concerned, no you won't get rickrolled, I promise. It was funny the first time but the election is serious business)

[nschively @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:51AM]

Dave - then where's the outrage that two of the "pastors" that have endorsed McCain,have said things like Katrina was God's wrath at homosexuals, Jews are to blame for anti-Semitism, Catholicism is the Whore of Babylon, and our country's divine purpose is to destroy the false religion of Islam. Hagee and Parsley, both of which were warmly received by McCain.

I see your one nutjob preacher endorsement and raise you two.

PS - Can you tell me what McCain's actual foreign policy experience is? I've been looking, and I can't actually find any.... Unless you count promulgating war; I don't.

[Dave @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:09PM]

yes, they were 'warmly received' by McCain, they haven't been McCain's best friend for over 20 years...everyone has constituents, but there is a DISTINCT difference between constituents and "mentor of 20 years."

Also, about the Anti-Semetism comment of these pastors, do you really think that holds with anyone against McCain when he has Joe Lieberman standing next to him all the time? I mean if we are going to compare apples with apples here, I would take McCain's credibility (or even Hillary's!) over Obama's any day of the week.

[nschively @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:26PM]

I would take anyone's credibility over Joe Lieberman.

So, let's see if I have this logic right. It's okay to enthusiastically receive the political endorsement of bigots, someone with whom you have no other relationship. But if you have a relationship with someone, then you must repudiate that relationship if they say anything controversial.

In a way, accepting that endorsement - enthusiastically - makes you a big ol' whore. John McCain - whore to the Religious Right. Either you think those statements are hateful, or you don't. Either way, pretty easy to figure out where you stand.

Tell me, do you agree with the thoughts and beliefs of all of your old friends and mentors, or have you grown past the sheep phase?

[Dave @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:23PM]

Oh please, talk about whoring votes, do you REALLY think Obama, Hillary, or anyone who has ever taken a college international economics class (which I'm sure he has taken being as he is Ivy League educated) is honestly going to review or do away with NAFTA? When Obama was in Cleveland telling those factory workers that NAFTA was such a bad idea, do you think he was really being honest?

Every candidate has to whore votes. Don't act like it's something they all don't do.

[Dave @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:42PM]

@nschively

"So, let's see if I have this logic right. It's okay to enthusiastically receive the political endorsement of bigots, someone with whom you have no other relationship. But if you have a relationship with someone, then you must repudiate that relationship if they say anything controversial."

Difference is, McCain's getting these pastors as endorsers who he isn't best friends with...Obama has been this guys FRIEND AND MENTOR for 20 years, named a book after some passage from the pastor (Audacity of Hope), etc...and the McCain endorsers may have said some incendiary comments, but nowhere near the level of Jeremiah Wright, whose views on America are towards the ludicrious end of the spectrum, I mean, unless you agree and think that the US Gov't introduced crack cocaine and AIDS to keep African-Americans down.

And for the record, Obama said he knew about these incendiary comments for more than a year, and didn't "repudiate" any of them until the media started pressing him about it. How convenient.

[User @ Mar 22nd 2008 5:31PM]

Linimax,

You forgot to mention that polls only don't matter if they show that Hillary is down. Otherwise, of course they matter!

But seriously, any idiot knows that Apple is doing poorly now because they are selling fairly DURABLE and EXPENSIVE/LUXURY goods and we're in a RECESSION. Any old fool with any economics knowledge should know that! :)

[Kelly @ Mar 21st 2008 9:30PM]

Really, did you miss the whole point of the SDK announcement. Open development of business and entertainment apps for iPhone and iPod touch? Nothing small about this announcement. More like the foreshadowing of a tsunami.

[Dave @ Mar 21st 2008 10:55PM]

By "Open Development" you mean Apple cashing in on apps developers create with their SDK and have to sell through their online store?

Also, the only place iPhones are going to make an impact in the business world are for those middle management or below, as no self-respecting executive would be caught dead with an iPhone for fear of looking unprofessional/like a tool amonsgt his peers. Virtual Keyboard = no lawyers/anyone that corresponds a large amount via email as customers, ever. Anyway I've rambled on this too much.

Not to mention that I dont think I could download a 2 MB deposition over EDGE, lol..,

[Bob @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:55AM]

Again I bring up the bull***t of Apple getting 30% commission on developer apps... Developers do all the work, all Apple does is sit there and decide who's programs they will even allow on iTunes... That's gotta be worth 30% of your app cost!!!

[Kelly @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:58AM]

Oh come on now. What business are you in and what mark up do you charge? 30% is less mark-up than retailers charge on software. Perhaps you're mistaking Steve Jobs for Mother Theresa, but last time I checked he was a CEO of a company that was in business to make a profit. I hope I haven't shocked you.

[Graham @ Mar 21st 2008 8:08PM]

Yea, it has begun. I used to have alot of respect for apple as a company. I mean they made quality products, add innovative design, and their products were very unique. Now Im quickly loosing, if havnt already lost, most of that respect. I see how they are treating people with the apps for the iphone, the unlockers, the people who only want to make a product their own. I thought they were on the right track when they said that the apple tv (and im paraphrasing) was your box and you can do what you want with it. But here comes along the iphone and ipod touch and they have a completely different attitude, not to mention the quality of the product is getting worse (look at how many very common features were left out of the iphone)

[clak @ Mar 21st 2008 11:40PM]

Man, you are so right. How dare Apple leverage their products in a way that like, makes them money! Bastards! Don't they know they're a charity? I should be free to install any crap on MY phone, even if it sucks the battery down to five minute intervals and causes the phone to crash. Freedom must be preserved even if it ruins the experience of millions of people and starts a wave of frivolous lawsuits. It should be enough for Apple knowing that they did the right thing, even when it bankrupts them.

Apple should not have any control over their product. EVER! It just isn't right. Just because they paid a bunch of engineers millions of dollars in development fees and painstakingly revised every detail and applied for patents, doesn't give them the right to tell me what to do with their product. It's not like they have a bunch of stockholders to answer to. FUCK YOU, APPLE.

[Bob @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:42AM]

wow @ clack... So what you are saying is that it's okay for Apple to lock down their software, but not for Microsoft? I see how everyone has talked about how Microsoft sucks so bad because they won't open up their software source code for developers, but then I go to the next article and see that it's okay for Apple to keep trying to make it so people can't jailbreak their phones, so that apps can only be distributed through iTunes and that plug-ins cannot be created, only standalone apps, so no Java or Flash can be developed for the iPhone. By the way, WTF @ Apple takes 30%!!! iTunes popularity entitles Apple to 30% commission on iPhone / iPod Touch apps??? That's the highest commission I've EVER heard of, and I'm sure you've ever heard of too... Clack, you silly Apple "fanboy" (and others who agree with him/her), think before you post.

[Ordeith @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:46AM]

Clack:

If only there was a good mobile and phone OS that let you run your own applications, had robust and mature development tools that would let anyone write their own applications, and had solid feature support for people with a wide vareity of uses.


oh..wait..

Just Apple can't do it doesn't mean you should forgive them for it.

[clak @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:58AM]

Why are you guys talking to me like that? Isn't it clear that I hate Apple?

@Bob

But seriously, Bob, WTF? How in God's green earth did you read a slam against Microsoft in that? Please explain, because you've confused the hell out of me.

@Ordeith

I'm sure you're making a sarcastic remark at my expense, but for the life of me, I just can't understand what you're saying.

What the hell does this mean: "Just Apple can't do it doesn't mean you should forgive them for it."

Is English even your first language?

[stevesreed @ Mar 22nd 2008 3:19AM]

@Bob

30% is the highest commission you've every hear of? You must not be very familiar with mobile applications, or console game development. Handango was 50% for palm and Blackberry applications.

for software sold at a store, you're going to walk away with far less than 70% (manufactuing, distribution, and the retailer's profits all adds up fast.

70% straight to the developer is actually very good. No marketing expenses, no website to host, no credit card transation to deal with and getting listed on every iPhone and Touch in the world. Wow.

Console Games developers get far less. In the pass I've worked for developers who literally got only 10-15% of the retail price (AFTER paying back the development costs!)

[Bob @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:19AM]

@ clak - Microsoft bashing was not in your post, I am simply talking about how so many Engadget posters (and other blog posters) sit here and talk about how greedy Microsoft is, and how they have everything "locked down" and how your post was basically saying it was okay for Apple to "lock down" their iPhone stuff. Sorry to take it all out on you, I'm just tired of how all the Steve Jobs lovers keep praising Apple about the iPhone / iPod Touch when Apple just keeps locking the crap down. I was on the brink of buying an iPhone this past Thursday, but I decided to wait and see what happens with the SDK, if they lock it down, I'm not even going to bother. Seriously, they won't even allow Adobe/Sun to develop Flash/Java plugins for the iPhone and iPod Touch, you gotta admin that's pretty lame... And Microsoft-ish...

@ stevesreed - I guess I didn't realize that, that's pretty unfair (of course, everyone says "life's not fair"). I think it's pretty lame that programmers/developers get so much commission taken out of their products. Not only does it drive the price up, but I have no doubts that it deters game/software development. On my defense though, Apple is *making* people sell apps through the store *only,* so there is a bit of an argument with the Handango thing, developers don't *have* to list their apps on Handango and give up 50% commission to be able to sell pocket pc software, they can sell it on their site and allow people to install software on their PPCs without having to use ActiveSync (in Apple's case, iTunes).

[clak @ Mar 22nd 2008 2:46PM]

I think people need to stop having knee jerk reactions to every decision Apple makes, just because they're doing something that their competitors haven't traditionally done. You can't be innovative as a company by doing what other companies do. That's the price of being innovative.

And let me just say that the problem with Microsoft isn't that they lock stuff down. The problem with Microsoft is that they broke the law during the late nineties by leveraging their monopoly power to kill companies like Netscape. Having a monopoly in itself is not against the law, while leveraging that monopoly power to kill competition IS against the law. I've said this before and I'll say it again, PC makers created Microsoft's monopoly, not consumers. Most people did not actively go out and say, "Hey, I'm going to buy Windows and put it on my computer." 80 percent of Microsoft's sales come from OEM sells to PC makers. So consumers didn't choose Windows, the PC makers chose for them.

So I don't even see why people even bother to compare Apple and Microsoft. These complaints about Apple have a "monopoly" on their devices are absolutely absurd. Every company has a monopoly on their gadgets (Sony has a monopoly on the Playstation, Nintendo has a monopoly on the Wii, etc), but then again, that word "monopoly" gets misused a lot. Companies have monopolies on markets, not devices.

[Duke @ Mar 21st 2008 8:08PM]

I think the pay-for upgrade was just over the top and unnecessary. It should have clearly been free. Thankfully no one else if following. Could you imagine if PS3 Updates, Xbox 360 Updates ,or Wii updates started costing money?

[clearThumbtack @ Mar 21st 2008 9:23PM]

don't be ignorant. Software updates from apple are free and always will be. Its the new software that doesn't exist that iPod touch users pay for. Your statement then implies everything off xbox live is free, all of its games and everything. Which obviously is not the case.

duh.

[Guzzie @ Mar 21st 2008 9:45PM]

That's exactly it, the apps they were charging for weren't new at all! They just released them for the iPod Touch, likely without even changing a single line of code. They had been on the iPhone since inception.

[Bob Newhart @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:53AM]

That charge for the update is not Apple's choice. They are required by law to charge for that update. Users of the iPhone do not have to pay because it is figured into their monthly bills. The same thing happened when the 802.11n routers were released and Apple had to charge for the internal Extreme Card updates. It's a stupid law, but they have to follow it.

[Jkswiss @ Mar 21st 2008 11:35PM]

^, I can't believe you drank that Cool-Aid from Apple. I guess the Microsoft fanboys that drew up Sarbanes-Oxley act excluded the Zune from that requirement, along with the Blu Ray 2.0 update for the PS3, and numerous cell phone firmware updates that add functionality like Rev A. for CDMA. I suppose free map packs are out of the question too.
Some people are so damn guillable.

[clearThumbtack @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:07PM]

Lets go back to the xbox 360 example. You can buy it with a 120 gb harddrive. You can also get it without. But since it exists, it should be shipped on all models for free?

Why should the model be different for hardware?

LOL