John Dvorak Should Pull The Plug On His Brain
Thursday, March 29th, 2007 by Mike Rundle
The almost-famous John Dvorak has written an article titled Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone which is almost as insightful as the guy on the corner screaming the world will end. His argument is this:
- The iPhone hype is so intense that there is no way Apple could possibly deliver on what fanboys and fangirls are hoping for.
- The cellphone marketplace is so saturated that it’s impossible for a company to come out with one device that redefines the entire industry.
For starters, the iPhone hype was more intense for the 6+ months prior to its unveiling that it makes the current buzz about it sound like a dull roar. How many international news outlets and stock analysts “predicted” the iPhone months before it came out? How many millions of people worldwide had far-fetched preconceived features that they wanted Apple to pull together? And after it debuted, how many people sat back, watched Jobs give the demo, and said “man, that sucks, it’s totally not what I wanted”. Gee, a handful? None? The hype was answered loud and clear. Apple delivered on everyone’s magical wishes.
So the only thing now that could go wrong is if the dozens of demos and videos of the iPhone are all false and misleading, and once you buy it, it boots into the Newton OS. Other than that, the people who hold it in their hands and use it are going to love it.
John seems to be forgetting that what Apple does best is redefine markets and make everyone look like they’re running with two broken legs. Since the iPod debuted, no one has come close to the market dominance that Apple has had, and if you believe John’s article, that’s only because Apple advertised the iPod well. Oh really? That sounds like a cogent argument to me. Or maybe it’s because the blend of hardware and software usability and aesthetics has not been matched in the world of MP3 players, and possibly never will.
Remember the Motrola Razr and the absolute all-out dominance it had in the mobile industry? It started that dominance back when the Razr was over $400, and now that it’s given away free with mobile contracts, its appeal is kicking in once again. Compare that dominance with the impending iPhone’s launch, and please tell me how John’s argument that one single phone cannot dominate a landscape holds any water.
The problem with comparing the iPhone to what’s out there is that it’s not like anything that’s out there in terms of overall appeal, aesthetics, usability, industrial design, and user interface design. The total package is not currently available in any form, and when consumers see what they’ve been missing when the iPhone launches, they will flock to it in droves. Me included.
Reader Comments
11 Responses to “John Dvorak Should Pull The Plug On His Brain”
I thought the same thing when I read this article, but you do realize he writes articles like this strictly to provoke people, right? I don’t think he’s a stupid person, and hence the only reason a non-stupid person would write an article like this is to be controversial and inflammatory.
March 29th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Hear Hear Mike! I agree with you whole-heartedly! I can’t wait to get my hands on the 8Gig iPhone and if Apple turns around six months later and doubles that to 16Gig I’ll trade instantly!
Dvorak was never the brightest bulb but he’s always had a penchant for attention - at any cost. So far he is the only person I’ve read so far to cast one bit of negativity on the iPhone.
The very moment Apple opens the site to iPhone order taking I’ll be in line and I know millions of others will be too.
Tim…
March 29th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Psst… you forgot to put rel=”nofollow” on your link to Dvorak.
I don’t like Dvorak but I gotta admit, he’s good at stirring up a lot of frustration. The sort of frustration that does sorta make Apple fandom look like a bit of a cult and, in turn, brings him more delicious googlejuice from all the outraged Mac bloggers.
So far, nobody seems to have made him answer to his ridiculous articles and I assume he continues to receive his paychecks.
March 29th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Com’on. Give John a break. The guy has got to make a living. I clean toilets. He just BS.
March 29th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Why can’t at least one popular site ask that other popular sites not post any more of Dvorak’s crap. He is as unethical as they come - even claiming in a YouTube interview he makes stuff up (especially in the Mac news world) just to bump hit totals up when they are low.
March 29th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
There are only two grouses I have with the iPhone, so I won’t be rushing out to buy one–I’ll let the explorers take the arrows, in this case.
First, I’m concerned about durability. Apple’s stuff is usually pretty good, but the large touch screen makes me nervous if I were to throw it on my pack with a bunch of keys and such. I’m not worried about the pretty case being scratched, I’m worried about the screen getting messed up and suddenly I can’t click an on-screen button because there’s a scratch in the way.
Second, I dislike the fact that, as a developer, I can’t install my own software on the iPhone. I’d love to be able to work up something with Google Maps and my Garmin USB GPS. This is a politics question, I’ll grant you. I’m sure once we know the CPU, someone’ll kludge together a way to do this.
So, once those two things are done, I’ll be in line for one. Meanwhile, I’ll sign up with Cingular…
March 29th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
This is just the way John Dvorak works. He’s been recorded saying that his “method” to gaining insane traffic is pissing off Apple fans.
March 29th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
@ Peter, just so you know the screen is made of tempered glass.
March 29th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Dvorak admited to baiting Apple fans. Here is a link.
http://www.macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/video_dvorak_admits_to_baiting_mac_users_for_hits/
March 29th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
I actually like Dvorak. As the above poster pointed out, he does this as a way of drawing traffic. I don’t think he’s as stupid or ignorant as people think, rather, he’s very good at manipulating us to his own will. Plus, it’s kind of nice to have an extreme alternate perspective on things, something different from the mainstream media.
March 29th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Of course he writes these articles to piss people off and generate traffic to his website (reason enough for me to avoid it at all costs), but the real problem here is that he is a journalist and, as such, should write impartial, informed, thoughtful and meaningful articles. He does none of these things and this completely destroys his credibility. The best way to counteract this is to ignore him.
March 29th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
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