Gizmodo editor's home raided

That post about good public relations from the Gizmodo iPhone leak? Well, that seems to be out the window.

Aside from a breaking news tweet from KNX 1070 and a post from CNET, I have not seen much coverage from major outlets. Please note that CBS Radio, who owns KNX, formed a partnership with CNET in the summer of 2008. It is slightly strange more media outlets are not covering the story yet.

On the public relations side...

Apple is letting the legal department speak too much in this situation. In my Public Relations and Advanced Public Relations classes, we constantly talk about not letting lawyers have total control over a situation. Lawyers are more concerned with protecting the company rather than public relations.

An example is the Firestone tire recall debacle in 2000. Aside from different business cultures, lawyers did not want to admit fault, therefore harming any sort of crisis communication response. This cost Firestone a good relationship with Ford, along with incredibly bad publicity.

Apple already got great publicity with the iPhone leak. Letting the lawyers handle the situation and getting police involved is only going to harm the company's reputation. Gizmodo has a huge technophile following, most of which are probably huge Apple nuts. I just cannot grasp why the company wants to jeopardize good relationships it took years to establish.

On the journalist side...

I am slightly torn in this situation. Are bloggers really journalists? People debate this issue endlessly and the general consensus is bloggers actually are. I can see people turning to blogs like Gizmodo or Kotaku as legitimate news sources. Going with this, journalists should be able to protect their sources.

However, this is different than protecting identity. Jason Chen, the Gizmodo editor, bought the device. The device was knowingly taken without permission, as far as Chen knew. Chen paid money for a stolen device. Paying for knowingly stolen merchandise is a crime. It's like buying a stolen car stereo from a chop shop.

Jason Chen is no doubt a journalist. He is also liable for paying $5,000 for a stolen device. Even in the name of journalism, he must have knew the potential problems. I feel bad for the guy, but he needs to face the consequences of what he's done in the name of journalism.

While Chen was wrong, there is no doubt Apple is going to be the big loser. They are going to damage their reputation, especially since Chen gave the device back to them. Apple's public relations department needs to take control of this situation. Take the microphone from the lawyers! Use your public relations skills and turn this situation around!

iPhone Returned, Gizmodo out $5,000

Today, Apple finally got back its forgotten/stolen new iPhone.

Gizmodo bought the phone for $5,000 from someone who found the phone in a bar. Gizmodo dissected the new iPhone and the Blogosphere and Twitterverse exploded with stories. Most of it praised the device and its advancements on previous iPhone versions.

There is one big question that comes to mind: why didn't Apple react faster to get the device back?

Did Apple intentionally 'forget' the device to raise hype about the new version? Did the engineer in-question not inform Apple about the loss? Did Apple think the news would (or wouldn't) spread like wildfire? No one will ever know.

I think the phone loss was legit, but Apple purposely let word spread before it took any action. Apple obviously knew technophiles would have a full freak out over the discovery. The Gizmodo post praised the device and its advancements. What better public relations is there than an outside observer praising the device before Apple even announced it? This was a great move.

It remains to be seen how Apple will deal with the engineer who lost the iPhone at the bar. This 'accident' was great press for Apple and had great word-of-mouth exposure thanks to social media (I actually heard about it first on Twitter from a friend).

Could this have been a complete flop? Apple traditionally releases improved iPhone versions during the summer. A leak this close to 'iPhone season' may make some hesitate on replacing or buying a new device, since there is little point in purchasing a product which will soon be obsolete. Apple released figures showing a profit increase of 90 percent on iPhone sales. Will the leak affect sales of current iPhone versions. That remains to be seen.

On a complete side note: Indians swept the White Sox and Cavs are 2-0 in the series with the Bulls. A surprisingly good week for Cleveland sports.

Giving it a go... again

Whoops!

I have done it. I have committed a cardinal sin. I should be struck down.

What? I started a blog without following through on keeping up with it. This is a huge no-no in the public relations world. If you start a blog, follow through with it, or else it is just a wasted effort. I will keep up this time, I swear.

Eight down, 47 to go

For those who do not know, I love traveling. I have one simple goal in life; going to every U.S. state and territory. I do not have any burning desire to go abroad until I accomplish this goal. Why? There is so much to do and see in my own country, I feel it is my responsibility as a citizen to see it all first.

I told someone my travel goal once and while they thought the idea was great, they somewhat chastised me on my "narrow" mind.

Personally, I find nothing wrong with wanting to explore the country you are from. I mean, there is so much variety in landscape and environment. While there are cultural barriers, there's no language barrier. I have only been to eight states, I am eager to visit the rest, along with the territories!

Berry sad

So Berry Chill filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy today. I am not surprised.

While I love the place, the business model seemed a bit off. When I think of frozen yogurt, I think of summer in the city. I think of eating it after class or work, in my neighborhood. Having locations on LaSalle and Ogilvie, both of which are not open on weekends, always seemed strange.

Hopefully, the reorganization works and Berry Chill can close those locations and expand to more profitable areas, such as Lincoln Park, Old Town and perhaps Lakeview. Those areas, in my mind, definitely meet the 20 to 30-something demographic, which appears to be their target market.

-Chris