Readers on Apple & the 'unpleasant odor' of social media

14.10.2009
We're no strangers to the hand-wringing and vitriol that can result from criticisms of Apple and its products. Our essay "?" and the accompanying (and incorrect) drew scores of comments from readers, many of whom were clearly angry that we would dare to question Apple's strategy or suggest that purchasers might switch to lower-cost Windows and Linux machines in the midst of a deep recession.

Last week's comparison of Apple's and Microsoft's social media strategies ("") also generated scores of comments and retweets. Even Fake Steve Jobs . We weren't surprised to receive negative comments ("This article's claim is preposterous!", "tabloid school of journalism", etc.), but we didn't expect that so many people would actually defend Apple for failing to utilize the many social media tools at its disposal to connect with its operating system customers, and build its business. Here's what they :

A user calling himself :

"":