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Comment by parfe | Hacker News Reader

That's exactly it though! Gruber thinks he's on an select list of writers and journalists. Instead, I believe he's an item on the Apple marketing checklist. Can you find another author who got the same treatment as Gruber?

This random article I stumbled across while looking myself takes Gruber's assumptions as fact, which I believe to be Apple's intention.

"The company is also changing the way it handles press events, according to worldwide marketing VP Phil Schiller. While Schiller has refused to go into any more detail, Daring Fireball's John Gruber notes that last week, he and others in the media were given separate, solo product briefings on Mountain Lion." http://www.macnn.com/articles/12/02/16/os.x.updates.to.becom...

Gruber actually wrote, "I'm guessing" because he didn't have the sense, integrity, or care to ask "Hey guys, how many other people will you be giving this personal, private, ego-stroking presentation to?"

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Yep. Gruber thinks he's on a select list of writers and journalists.

And he's right. Gruber is perhaps the most influential Apple blogger out there. And he clearly merits personal attention from Apple execs.

And that seems to really piss you off. So you are attacking him on Hacker News where he can't respond, and also attacking his readership.

>So you are attacking him on Hacker News where he can't respond

This makes no sense. Has Gruber been banned from HN or something? Where would you say is an acceptable place to post an issue with him? If I can't post it here, and he doesn't allow comments then what do you propose? Certainly you aren't saying he should be free from criticism?

Certainly not. I merely meant that Gruber is unlikely to be reading this thread, based mostly on the fact that I've never seen him comment on HN.

And I didn't say it was unacceptable for you to post "comments" about him; I said that your particular attacks on him were tiresome, misleading and pointless. Which is different.

You still didn't answer. Where do you find it acceptable for me to post?

I agree with your sentiment, but it's just untrue that he can't respond on Hacker News. He may have reasons to not do it, but he certainly has the ability to.

Why can't he respond here?

> That's exactly it though! Gruber thinks he's on an select list of writers and journalists. Instead, I believe he's an item on the Apple marketing checklist.

You can have a writer on a marketing checklist; quality writing is important for marketing to certain demographics.

Indeed, making a select list of writers and journalists feel like they are on a a select list of writers and journalists has long been an important item on marketing checklists.

What is unusual, in this case, is that Apple made it the way they launched the marketing for Mountain Lion.

> You can have a writer on a marketing checklist; quality writing is important for marketing to certain demographics.

I agree. Many of the "news outlets" reported on the operating system itself, as that's what their readers want. They're not really that interested in the fact that this private Q&A is different, and who attended, and how good the coffee was.

Daring Fireball readers obviously do, and it's probably why Gruber runs a fairly successful site: he found a good niche.

Oh, I see what you are saying. I guess we will see if anyone else got the "personal treatment". I'm also waiting for Siracusa's take - that is if they talk to him too.

IMO it's certainly a bold marketing approach.

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