In the world of tech writing, and Apple in particular, there are no shortage of linkbait headlines that house no substantive content and exist solely to attract eyeballs. From beyond questionable photo leaks of as of yet un-announced Apple products to moronic talking heads on CNBC who never cease to proclaim that Apple is doomed, one should clearly absorb their daily dose of Apple news with a discerning eye.
But not everything is a wasteland of despair. There are of course a number of reputable sites out there that do solid reporting and are ably able to separate the wheat from the chaff; which is why I was quite surprised to see Bloomberg taking the road too often travelled in a bizarre and empty article that was published this past Friday.
Titled "Samsung Sticks It to Apple With Swiss Railways Deal", the article simply relays that Swiss Federal Railways signed a new deal with Samsung wherein railway employees will be given mobile Samsung devices.
Why is this of any note? Well, it isn't really. But since Apple licensed the iPad clock design from Swiss Federal Railways (after claims that Apple misappropriated it) , Bloomberg deemed it appropriate to create a story out of thin air.
The Bloomberg report reads in part:
The history wasn't mentioned in Samsung's press release, but you can bet the timing of the announcement was no coincidence. A new trial kicked off on March 31 in Silicon Valley, where Apple is accusing Samsung of copying its designs for the iPhone and iPad. Apple's lawyers are trying to portray a culture of "fast following" at Samsung and to highlight Apple innovations. Needless to say, the Swiss clock probably won't be part of Apple's legal argument.
Actually, I'd bet the timing of the announcement was PURE coincidence and has absolutely nothing to do with Apple and Samsung's ongoing court battle in California. Samsung is a marketing machine and pays many celebrities and entities to use their products. The latest such business deal involves 30,000 devices earmarked for Swiss Federal Railways. The business deal, unless Bloomberg can provide evidence to the contrary, has absolutely nothing to do with "sticking it" to Apple.
Even more astounding is that Bloomberg chose to run with their unabashedly linkbait headline even though the article relays a quote from a Swiss Railways spokesman who said that the "decision to team up with Samsung was unrelated to the issue with Apple in 2012." Simply put, the company asked for bidders and Samsung came out on top.
Not to be outdone, Business Insider jumped on the linkbait non-story with its own sensationalist article titled, "Apple Ripped Off This Clock Design For The iPad And Now The Owners Have Given A Huge Contract To Samsung."
Two sites. One Story. No critical thinking or analysis.
Just another day in tech.
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