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Getting Paid for Being Wrong


I have been using iOS6 Maps since the day it was formally released, and I think the new Maps app is great.  To me, it is a real step up in quality and UI over the old Google-based map solution.  I have zero complaints.

But some in the press seem to be "creating controversy" in order to "create revenue".

Considering the things I've heard and read (like "Maps claimed I was traveling North in the city, while I was actually traveling South"), I conclude that some in the press, including many bloggers, don't have the experience or expertise to publish on technology topics.  At least I hope so.  The more cynical side of me thinks that it could be that "controversy sells ads".

When one writes about technology for the public, the public expects that the author is coming from a place of expertise.  Someone who has done research, and who can appropriately and comprehensively explain things.

The public deserves more than personal opinion and personal experience - they deserve more than speculation.  They deserve more than a quote from someone with an axe to grind, or a retailer that has a product to sell.

All this Map nonsense is reminiscent of the "authentication chip" that iLounge claimed was part of the Apple Earbuds.  Of course, any well-experienced electronics expert could have informed iLounge that a chip is required for sending digital pushbutton signals over a standard analog headphone cable.  But instead, iLounge published the ridiculous "authentication chip" claim, which undoubtably upped their ad revenues and which did a disservice to their reader community.

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