Wired Releases A Story Early To Apple News Users; Wired Readers Not Happy

from the fragmenting-the-internet dept

Mon, Sep 21st 2015 12:45pm — Mike Masnick

As you may know, Apple last week released its new Apple News newsreader product. I don't have an iOS device, so I haven't checked it out, but the reviews I've heard have been fairly underwhelmed by the experience. Either way, Wired apparently decided (or did some sort of deal with Apple) to release a particular story as an "exclusive" on Apple News. The story was released last week, but you can only see it on Apple News. If you go to this URL on Wired before the story officially shows up on the web tonight, you get a blurb saying that it's only available on Apple news for now.

This story is being previewed exclusively on Apple News until Tuesday, September 22nd. Please check this page again at that time.

Perhaps not that surprisingly, a lot of people are unhappy about this. Wired posted this to its Facebook feed and the comments are almost entirely negative.

Whaddya know? Turns out that creating arbitrary exclusives based on what platform people use (and, likely, which company paid you to keep your content exclusive to their platform) serves mainly to piss people off. People don't want a fragmented/fractured content experience. They don't want to be told that they can't read a story just because they don't have the "right" kind of phone. That's not the kind of internet the public wants, and it's a bit unfortunate that it's one that Wired has apparently decided to support.

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Filed Under: apple news, exclusives, fragmentation, internet, platforms, wired
Companies: apple, conde nast, wired

52 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 12:52pm

And, yet, you charge people money to read your stories early with your crystal ball feature. Hmm.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:04pm

Early for those who pay? It's an outrage! -- Sez the guy who let paying "Insiders" read and comment on THIS item first!
Absolutely Masnickal.

Beaten to first comment! I was busy.
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jilocasin (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:06pm

It works so good for music and television right?
Requiring multiple apps, services, platforms works so well for other areas;

Music:
- Spotify
- Pandora
- Tidal
- Apple Music
- etc.
TV:
- Hulu
- Netflix
- AppleTV
- Amazon Prime
- HBO Go
- etc.
So why would you want to settle for just plain old Wired (web edition) when you can have:
- Wired Web edition
- Wired Apple edition
- Wired Android edition
- Wired Tizen edition
- Wired Windows Mobile edition
- Wired Windows 10 edition
- Wired XBox Live edition
- Wired BlackBerry edition
- Wired Roku edition
- Wired Facebook edition
- Wired Samsung edition
- Wired Sony edition
- Wired PlayStation Network edition
- etc.
I mean it's not like anyone can get their news somewhere else now can they? /s
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:11pm

Re: Early for those who pay? It's an outrage! -- Sez the guy who let paying "Insiders" read and comment on THIS item first!
Early for those who pay? It's an outrage! -- Sez the guy who let paying "Insiders" read and comment on THIS item first!

Not about early to those who pay. About early to those who are on a specific platform. Reading comprehension troubles again?
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:11pm

Re:
I want to say: "You're wrong because [reasons]", but honestly I can't think of anything. I mean it's fair that they give special treatment to people that pay them to become Insiders, but... it just stings when I think about it.

Ah well. Left out of the loop again I suppose.
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Roger Strong (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:12pm

Still....
Having Windows, Android and Linux devices, I could support the next Adam Sandler movie being exclusive to the Apple platform.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:14pm

I really dislike Wired's new font and content layout anyways.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:14pm

Video Games
Video Games have a terrible fractured environment.

There are a lot of games that are available on just one platform only.
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Carpet, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:17pm

Home Depot
Home Depot pulled the same shit on me this weekend with a similar result. If you use Home Depot for installation you can have your carpet installed in 7 days or less. But if you dont have it installed by Home Depot your carpet will not be delivered for 2-3 weeks. I had the same response: "In that case, I dont need to buy carpet from you."
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sehlat (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:26pm

Informal definition of "wired"
under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

I think that may cover this case.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:27pm

Re: Re: Early for those who pay? It's an outrage! -- Sez the guy who let paying "Insiders" read and comment on THIS item first!
"Not about early to those who pay. About early to those who are on a specific platform." .... meaning to pay to be on that platform. You better chase after the logic that is escaping you! hurry!!
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Jeremy2020 (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:35pm

Well, I stopped reading wired a long time ago. Are people who still read it actually surprised by this?
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:36pm

Re: Re: Re: Early for those who pay? It's an outrage! -- Sez the guy who let paying "Insiders" read and comment on THIS item first!
WTF? not only do you need reading comp, try some writing classes too.
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Rich, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:40pm

Re: Video Games
Making a game platform agnostic is much, much harder than making article that way.
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A Non-Mouse, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:45pm

Re:
"Well, I stopped reading wired a long time ago. Are people who still read it actually surprised by this?"

Apparently yes, all three of them!

All joking aside, I also stopped reading Wired several years ago. Their choice to hide themselves even better does not impact me one bit.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:48pm

Re: Early for those who pay? It's an outrage! -- Sez the guy who let paying
It's almost like you are OOTButthurt.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:55pm

Speaking of feeds, Techdirt could do without the ads in theirs.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:57pm

Re: Re: Video Games
Actually when it comes to articles, it is much harder to make the articles exclusive rather than an agnostic platform.
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Blackfiredragon13 (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 1:59pm

Re:
The main difference here being that TD doesn't make their insider and crystal ball options exclusive to a platform or OS. At least not that I'm aware of. I don't use it myself.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 2:12pm

I noticed this a few days ago and promptly removed Wired from my RSS feeds.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 2:16pm

Re: Early for those who pay? It's an outrage! -- Sez the guy who let paying "Insiders" read and comment on THIS item first!
I was busy.
I find that very hard to believe.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 2:27pm

Re: Re:
So exclusive to a platform = bad, but exclusive within a platform = good?
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 2:33pm

Re: It works so good for music and television right?
I've solved this problem by using torrents. One stop for music, video, books, magazines, etc. (But not movies. Oh, there ARE movies there, but almost without exception they suck, suck, suck, suck, and suck some more. Hollywood would have to pay me to sit through this crap.)
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 2:33pm

Release Partner
If you go to apples news page:

http://www.apple.com/news/

You'll see wired displayed on 8 out of 11 idevices. I don't think wired is suffering from this deal. Maybe Mike's just upset because it wasn't offered to him. I'm pretty sure he would've taken the deal if it was offered.

The rest of the world hasn't got news yet, so everyone who updated their phone has landed on that page trying to find out why they don't have news on their phone. If I didn't know who wired was, I do now.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 2:36pm

Re: Re: It works so good for music and television right?
YIFY's got lots of old school, pre-blockbuster goodness.

Hells Angels on Wheels from 1967 with Jack Nicholson is on the front page.
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John Fenderson (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 2:40pm

Re:
That's not even remotely the same thing.
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John Fenderson (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 2:43pm

Re: Informal definition of "wired"
Alcohol?

Maybe it's a regionalism, but in my part of the country "wired" refers to being under the influence of stimulants, specifically. You can be wired on caffiene, but you can't be wired on alcohol.
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John Fenderson (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 2:44pm

Re:
Me too, and I'm not surprised. Wired lost its relevance a long time ago, and lost it through questionable behavior not far off from this sort of thing.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 2:52pm

Re: Re: Early for those who pay? It's an outrage! -- Sez the guy who let paying "Insiders" read and comment on THIS item first!
If you want Techdirt a little early you can pay to be an insider, want wired a little early go buy an IOS device. Seems to me there is a difference in price, and commitment. One is an advantage to those who who want to give Techdirt some support, the other is a marketing gimmick for Apple.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 2:55pm

This Comment can be read exclusively on Apple Devices,. Please check back after you've purchased an Apple Product.
Thank you!
and have a Appley Day
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 3:03pm

Apple fanboy didn't like it?
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 3:03pm

Apple fanboys didn't like it?
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 3:37pm

Google stooges just hate Apple.
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crade (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 3:46pm

Re: Release Partner
If they want to be an iPhone magazine instead of a tech magazine, this move totally makes sense. Not that I give a shit.. I don't have an iPhone so I naturally I won't be reading it anyway.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 3:50pm

Re: Re: Release Partner
All those big tech sites are apple magazines, wired is just apples favourite apple magazine of the month.
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Philip (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 4:39pm

It's up now
It appears they've reverted their stance on this. The article is now working.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 4:41pm

Don't really care honestly. Gave up on Wired a long time ago. Never did own an overpriced Apple branded product so Apple isn't in my list of must haves.

They can limit their readership all they want. But that has the price of less eyeballs.

Right now, neither of these are must have or must go to. With this move it went from neither to never.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 4:49pm

Re: It's up now
It's not working for me, and where I am it's already lunchtime on the 22nd.
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tqk (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 5:00pm

Re:
Well, I stopped reading wired a long time ago. Are people who still read it actually surprised by this?

Indeed. Wired's been "tech marketing" press since day one. There should be no surprise here.

Besides, tech long ago split into "tech technical" and "tech fashionable/sexy", with the latter invariably vanguarded with Apple and its iBaubles. The latter are not sophisticated tech, just fashionable, and since they started suing others for features emulating old style TVs (rounded corners), techs are embarassed to be anywhere near them. Of course Wired is going to kiss Tim Cook's feet whenever given a chance. It's where the money is for them.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 5:00pm

Re: Re: Re: Video Games
"Agnostic"

I do not think that word means what you think it means. "Platform agnostic" literally means that the video game programmers believed they could not know whether a platform existed. "Platform apathetic" (or "platform indifferent") would mean that they knew a platform existed but that it did not matter which one.
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nasch (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 5:24pm

Re: Re: Re:
So exclusive to a platform = bad, but exclusive within a platform = good?

I don't think it's a matter of "bad" and "good" but a question of how people react. Mike isn't saying this is immoral, he's saying it might not be a good business decision because it pisses people off. If there had been an uproar in the Techdirt community about the crystal ball/insider feature, I'm sure he would have reconsidered it, but we seem to have accepted it just fine.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 5:41pm

Response to: Anonymous Coward on Sep 21st, 2015 @ 3:37pm
Cry moar.
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Mayson Lancaster (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 8:25pm

Said article
is a crappy puff piece for an architect who seems to have been brown-nosing Rupert Murdoch… You're not missing much.
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That One Guy (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 8:44pm

Re:
There's just a bit of a difference between treating two groups differently based upon what device they're using to access your site, and giving those that are willing to throw money at you some minor perks in thanks for doing so.

Unless you're arguing that paying customers/visitors/viewers should be treated the same as non-paying customers/visitors/viewers, which pretty thoroughly guts any real reason to pay for any service or site, then there's nothing wrong with giving someone who's willing to pay a reward for doing so.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Sep 2015 @ 9:21pm

Re:
No one's going to believe a dumb cunt who believes less affluent people don't deserve healthcare.

Go lick average_joe's ass or something.
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techflaws (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 9:57pm

Re: Release Partner
Maybe Mike's just upset because it wasn't offered to him

Yeah, right. I mean, obviously!
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techflaws (profile), 21 Sep 2015 @ 9:58pm

Re: Video Games
Analogy fail. Care to try again?
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Sep 2015 @ 3:24am

Re: Video Games
fortunately PC is such an open platform, most of those were emulated.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Sep 2015 @ 5:03am

Re: Re: Early for those who pay? It's an outrage! -- Sez the guy who let paying "Insiders" read and comment on THIS item first!
He had his mouth full........
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Sep 2015 @ 7:35am

http://www.wired.com/2015/09/bjarke-ingels-2-world-trade-center-wtc/

Page Not Found
Whoops, that page is missing!
If you clicked a link that led you to this page, please let us know so we can fix our mistake as soon as possible.

Whoops, that page was archived!

https://web.archive.org/web/20150919095312/http://www.wired.com/2015/09/bjarke-ingels-2-wor ld-trade-center-wtc/
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Sep 2015 @ 7:41am

Re: Re: Informal definition of "wired"
Dunno. I've never heard anyone use "wired" for anything but stimulants.
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sehlat (profile), 22 Sep 2015 @ 10:01am

Re: Re: Re: Early for those who pay? It's an outrage! -- Sez the guy who let paying "Insiders" read and comment on THIS item first!
You do know about commitment, do you not? Think bacon and eggs. The hen is involved. The pig is committed.
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