You stay classy, Engadget

ronburgundymilkWhat the fuck is wrong with Engadget? I’m not going to go too far into this since their commenters seem to be doing a pretty decent job as is, but here’s what they had to say today about our VentureBeat piece on the whole multi-touch thing with Google and Apple:

So we’ve been watching this sketchily-sourced piece from VentureBeat’s MG Sigler

First of all, the author, who has almost the exact same last name as me, misspells my last name.

Secondly, “sketchily-sourced”? The source is an Android team member. Maybe we should hold off on publishing unless we have signed affidavits or complete video footage of closed door meetings. Apparently, Engadget wants us to believe they do that.

I used to love Engadget, I really did, but now are they the bastion of journalistic integrity? No. Are they the last word in everything factual? No. Do they set the standard by which all other blogs follow? No. Hell, I can barely even see where they link back to the original source.

We reported something, that we heard, from a source, a pretty fucking good source, other reputable people like Daring Fireball’s John Gruber more or less back it up saying he’s heard the same thing, and Engadget just brushes it aside. But the best part is that they come back with:

Fine, we’re somewhat willing to accept the complete lack of multitouch on the G1 is a result of Apple’s influence, especially considering the huffy language Apple’s been using lately over its intellectual property…

Okay, so they’ll accept what we heard from our apparently shitty source, but only because it makes sense to them (saying the exact same thing that I wrote). Fuck you.

You stay classy Zigler, or hand the reins back over to people like Peter Rojas and Ryan Block. Please.

Post by MG Siegler on 02/10/09
Comments
  • Damn you just went "Full Christian Bale".

    Give em hell MG, that's some bushleague shit there.
  • Am I gonna walk around and rip your fucking lights down...in the middle of a scene?
  • <blink>
  • sure i typo your name all the time but they have no right! If this blog was old media i'd whip my ass with it.
  • Yeah, and I'd give you shit if your name was Sean Ziegler.
  • i heard they put that joshua guy and 10 guys with the last name patel in a room for 48 hours a time, just cranking out posts. They have roombos deliver them food through a small hole in the floor. :(
  • I'd say you and Engadget are done, professionally.
  • I want them off my set!
  • MG, sorry for the typo on that -- I've updated the post to correct your name.
  • Well, that's something at least.
  • And just to try to put this to rest, our concern is primarily the 3.5mm jack claim, not the multitouch; we're trying to put the plausibility of the story into perspective with some critical thinking. I totally understand why you're upset, but by the same token, you can understand why it seems unlikely that Apple told Google not to include a standard jack in the G1, right? Other phones already do this and HTC's will going forward.
  • Well okay, but we didn't say a thing about the 3.5mm jack, cause the source did not mention that. I can't speak for what Gruber heard, but to call VB's piece "sketchily-source," as you did, because of something we didn't in any way say, seems ridiculous.
  • MG, to be fair, they are probably checking their Apple source more carefully these days than in the past:

    http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/05/16/engadget-kno...
  • When engadget gives you parislemons, make parislemonade.
  • Look
    No biggie, since Engadget is a Kids site...
  • Heh.

    They're just upset that your Google source knows where the company is headquartered: http://twitter.com/gaberivera/status/1194634118
  • ha ha, looks like they fixed that. fixed my name too! fixing things after the fact is the new black.
  • Edward Vielmetti
    Why are the battles so bitter?

    Because the stakes are so low.
  • I wish I could pull off saying that as good as the President.
  • bubel
    who the fuck cares?
  • scarabic
    "Fuck you.

    You stay classy"

    Is this a comedy piece? Irony like that doesn't just happen. You're having a fun, right?

    You should be glad for the mention and the link. If you were serious about this post, you would have done more to damage your credibility than they did.
  • Yes, I'm just so grateful for a disparaging mention and link. Or were you "having a fun" with that comment?
  • zato
    So "What the fuck is wrong with Engadget?" Nothing in this case. You have one guy saying so and so...was he not able to give you the name or email of a second guy who could confirm? I guess not.
    This story sounds like many that come from Venture Beat and SAI. Stories created to whip up Apple hatred in the comments from the millions of unemployed mothers-basement dwelling PC gamer/Mac haters that make up 80% of the Tech and Gadget site audience. (Another 15% are Microsoft Employees)
    And Gruber says it "sounds like it could be true". Well that confirms it!!
    The story sounds like bullshit to me, but I could be wrong. It sounds like another "This should whip some Apple hate" and generate some clicks, story from the Microsoft propaganda machine.
    But mostly, it sounds like a story written by someone who has NO understanding of the relationship between Apple and Google.
  • Your comment is hilarious almost to the point of not responding, but, I'll just ask, have you ever read any of my other posts? I've been accused of a lot of things, but I can assure you, never once of being part of the Microsoft propaganda machine! I love that.
  • zato
    I've read many of your posts, and I've accused you of being a propagandist before. But what about getting the story confirmed by one more insider? Was that too much trouble? Or did you just figure that what you had would bring out the haters in force, and that would run up the clicks?
    My guess is the story is complete bullshit. Apple and Google are one company. They work together. Anything one or the other does is for the common long-range good. Do you think Google just decided one day to create a mobile OS?
  • Matthaus
    If you would have read the comments to the post - which you obviously did not - you would have read that we more than double-checked the info as we always do. The post can be criticised for many things, but not that.
  • I think you should fact check your comments first before waving your finger... and stop waving it before you poke out an eye.
  • It's kind of an odd coincidence that just the other day you were blasting Associated Press/old media for not getting facts straight and implying blogs do moreso. :)
  • Unfortunately, not all blogs are created equal :)
  • AAPLWatch
    Everyone knows Engadget's quality plummeted when Ryan Block left to do his own thing.
    The worst part is their live-blogging-the whole "oh we are so jaded nothing impresses us now" attitude may play "cool" to their 15 year old readers, but everyone else is just rather annoyed by it.

    Their writers just don't seem to really enjoy gadgets anymore-or rather, the current writers they hired don't-its all about being snarky and "witty", at the expense of actually enthusiastically reporting on the latest in the gadget world. Rojas and Block could be critical, and could see thru the bullshit marketing hype, but they were gadget fans first. Guys like Topolsky and Murph could be writing about laundry detergents at this point-their lack of interest/knowlege is just disappointing.
  • "Apple and Google are one company." Okay, you're right.
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