Over the past 2 weeks or so the tech news websites have been all the rage about two things: Google’s Nexus One and Apple’s tablet computer. The Nexus One exists, people have seen it, handled it, taken pictures of it, written reviews on it. Apple’s tablet however continues to be nothing more than rumor.
Sure, there’s lots of evidence that it might exist. Apple themselves filed for a patent for a table like device years ago. But the problem is, people seem to be dead sure it’s coming out. Just like they were dead sure at MacWorld last year, and in January 2009 before that. Ever since the iPhone people have been “predicting” the Apple tablet. However, since the month has flipped to January there has been tons more coverage on the device. A device that doesn’t actually exist yet. There’s been so much coverage that even the Wall Street Journal has written on it, stating dates for both an announcement and shipping.
Apple has a reputation for causing excitement in their products, even those that don’t definitely exist yet. Like I said, the rumored Apple tablet has been rumored since the introduction of the iPhone. But there in lies the problem. It’s a rumor. Still is. Until someone can grab a picture of the blasted thing, it is nothing more than a figment of our imagination. And this is where I find issue. Sure, sites like Engadget feed on product rumors. That’s their proverbial bread and butter. But when the Wall Street Journal, Wired, and other non-blog oriented news outlets start feeding the rumor mill, I take issue. When I read a blog, it’s a blog. Regardless if it’s a popular one, there is always the chance that what they’re reporting is based solely on conjecture, rumor, or just word of mouth. In other words, I expect that it could turn out to be a hoax, misinformation, or something else erroneous (that doesn’t mean that everything these sites discuss lacks proof, evidence, and actual fact). But when a site like the Wall Street Journal, something that is considered a “reputable” news source, starts playing along to me it brings it more into reality. It means that more people will read it, it means more people will think its true.
When you compare the Nexus One hype to the Apple tablet hype the main difference is that the Nexus One exists. We’ve see it. Google employees have spoken out about it. People outside Google have touched it, played with it. The Apple tablet is still nothing more than a patent application, and some non-Apple photoshopped mockups. See the difference?
Now, do I think the Apple tablet exists? Yes, I think somewhere within Apple’s walls, there is a tablet. There might even be a prototype, and they might have already shipped build plans off to China to have them built. But, as with anything Apple, nothing is certain until Steve Jobs gets on a stage and says “Hey, here it is” because until then it’s not real. Apple has pulled entire product announcements before, so it’s always helpful to keep that in mind as we dream of new Apple devices.
Michael Koby 
Warner Bros. is Run by Idiots
Engadget has an article about Netflix reaching a deal with Warner Brothers Pictures (people who bring us Harry Potter, Batman, and the Matrix films) where Netflix will delay shipping new release rentals out for 28 days. The idea here is that Warner Bros. hopes that this will encourage people to buy a DVD or Blu-Ray rather than just renting it. It’s a horrible idea, brought about by people who apparently don’t even understand their customers. For this reason, I claim that Warner Bros. Pictures is run by idiots.
First off, people don’t usually buy movies blindly. They want to see them. They’ll either see the movie in theaters or they will rent it. Only after seeing the movie will most people actually buy it, not before. So to delay new video releases with the idea that it will sell more product is a flawed idea from the get go. Delaying rental customers from getting new releases will only do two things. First it will anger your customers and they will stop buying from you (this goes for you too Netflix), and secondly it will cause people to pirate movies. A lot of people pirate movies so they can see the movie, and if they like it they usually buy it. I’m not going to argue that others pirate movies for the sake of doing so and in turn do not buy videos, that happens, but those people wouldn’t have bought it anyway.
Then you have people like me, those of us that plan on buying large box sets once a series has finished it’s movie run (Harry Potter anyone?). I haven’t bought a Harry Potter disc since I bought a Blu-Ray player. The reason? Warner Bros. will probably release a nice (read pricey) box set of all 8 movies (the last book will be turned into 2 movies) and I’d rather buy them all on Blu-Ray at once rather than go through the hassle of selling my DVDs for the first 4 movies right now. I’d rather have a nice box set with all the movies rather than having them scattered among my collection. The box set looks nicer on a shelf. So for me it isn’t so much about not buying the movie as it is about only buying it once. I hate double dipping. My wife and I are slowly replacing DVDs with Blu-Rays but only on movies we really like and only when we find the Blu-Ray for what we consider to be a good price.
So what will I do now that I can’t get Warner Bros. new releases from Netflix the week (or two) after release? I have no clue at this point. But for movies I haven’t seen yet, I can guarantee that I won’t be buying them. So Warner Bros. please get over yourselves, and pull back on this deal, I promise that long term it’s not going to help your video sales any and is really just going to anger your customers. Netflix, if you do even 1 more these kinds of deals, I will personally cancel my account and encourage others I know to do the same.